Kathmandu, February 4
* Prevalence high in Kathmandu, women more susceptible
* People aged 35-74 years make most of the disease borden
* On an average, 8,729 people develop cancer every year
Cancer is emerging as a major threat to public health, as statistics suggest. On the occasion of the World Cancer Day, Onlinekhabar conducted a study on the status of cancer in Nepal. As per the statistics obtained from the Cancer Prevention, Control and Research Department, prevalence of cancer is the highest in Kathmandu. On an average year, 8,729 Nepalis have cancer with women making 54 per cent of these patients.
Age-wise, people aged 35-74 years make the most of cancer patients in Nepal. This aside, people as young as four months and as old as 80 years or above have cancer. People aged 70-74 years account for 12.6 per cent (1,097) of cancer patients out of the 8,729 patients, according to the department’s yearly statistics.
Age-wise, people aged 35-74 years make the most of cancer patients in Nepal.
People aged 60-64 years make 12 per cent (941) of cancer patients, while those aged 50-54 years account for 10.2 per cent (891) cancer patients out of 8,729 patients. As per the department’s statistics, people aged 45-49 years constitute 9.2 per cent of cancer patients.
In course of a year, cancer has afflicted 800 people from this age group. During the same period, 487 people aged 35-39 years have contracted cancer out of 8,729 patients, accounting for 5.6 per cent of the patients. The age group 30-34 years accounts for 3.9 per cent (390) of the disease burden, according to records at the division.
In Nepal, cancer afflicts 40,000 people every year, according to chief of the department Kishor Kumar Pradhananga.
In course of a year, 87 children aged below four years had cancer. Ninety-six people aged 5-9 years had cancer during the same period. A total of 137 people aged 10-14 years had cancer during the same period, according to the statistics.
The prevalence of cancer was 6.6 per cent (572) for people aged 15-29 years. During the same period, 327 people aged over 80 years had cancer, while 396 people aged 75-79 years had cancer. As per the statistics, Kathmandu had a maximum number of cancer patients in a year (1098), accounting for 12.6 per cent of the 8,729 patients. After Kathmandu come the districts of Sunsari, Morang, Kaski, Jhapa, Rupandehi, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur.
19-fold surge in a decade
Records at seven cancer hospitals suggest that the number of cancer patients has increased 19-fold in course of a decade (2003-2012).
In Nepal, cancer afflicts 40,000 people every year, according to chief of the department Kishor Kumar Pradhananga. But the rate of detection is pretty low, with the health system detecting only around 8,000 cases, he says. Every year, one lakh patients visit BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital’s outpatients department for diagnosis of cancer, according to Pradhananga. The prevalence of uterine cancer and breast cancer is high among women, he said, adding that prevalence of oral cancer is high among men.
