Breast cancer burden high in TN, Chennai: ICMR
The burden of breast cancer among Indian women in 2016 was estimated to be at 515.4 DALYs per 1,00,000 women after age standardisation.
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NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, and Delhi had a higher burden of breast cancer than eastern and northeastern states, according to an ICMR study that also projected a “substantial rise” in the disease burden in India by 2025.
The study, published earlier this month, focused on India’s breast cancer burden at the State level from 2012 to 2016 in terms of years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and to project the burden for 2025.
The burden of breast cancer among Indian women in 2016 was estimated to be at 515.4 DALYs per 1,00,000 women after age standardisation. DALYs are a measure of overall disease burden, expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability, or early death. “The projection for 2025 indicates a substantial increase, reaching 5.6 million DALYs,” the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study said.
According to the projections, the burden of female breast cancer in India in 2025 is expected to be 5.6 million DALYs. Premature deaths due to breast cancer (YLLs) would contribute 5.3 million DALYs to the total burden, with the remaining due to disability (YLDs).
Rural women are less likely to develop breast cancer than their urban counterparts and age-standardised incidence rates are higher in urban and metro areas, with Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Delhi topping the list among Indian cities.
This study examined the State-wise burden of female breast cancer in India in 2016 using data from 28 population-based cancer registries (which are mainly in urban areas) across the country under the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP).
“Rural women are less likely to develop breast cancer than their urban counterparts and age-standardised incidence rates are higher in urban and metro areas, with Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Delhi as the leading Indian cities,” the researchers said.
Urban factors such as a sedentary lifestyle, high obesity rates, delayed age of marriage and childbirth, and minimal breastfeeding have been attributed to a higher burden of breast cancer in urban areas.