Around 10 types of cancer diseases, including lung and breast cancers, have been dominating in Bangladesh, creating a burden for the country’s health facilities.

Health experts and different reports said 10 types of cancer diseases have been affecting people in the country for the last few years while lung and breast cancers remain at the top among others.

“There is no exact data on cancer cases in the country yet. We will run pilot programmes for hospital based and population based cancer registry activities this year to detect actual scenario of cancer disease here,” Prof Dr Md. Robed Amin, Line Director (NCDC) of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), told the Daily Sun.

The hospital based cancer registry report 2018-2020 of the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH) said 83,795 cancer patients attended OPD of the hospital during the three years. Of them, 35,733 or 42.6 percent had confirmed or provisional diagnosis of cancer.

The report said ten types of cancer patients were diagnosed during the time while the number of patients with lung cancer was the highest in both men and women as 17.4 cancer patients were diagnosed with lung cancer.

Mentioning that 16,187 or 45 percent were male and 19,546 or 55 percent were female cancer patients reported during the registry, the report said the number of lung cancer patients was highest in male and the number of breast cancer patients was highest in female.

The ten types of cancer diseases included lung cancer, breast cancer, Cervix cancer, Oesophagus cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, lymph node cancer, rectum cancer, cheek or buccal mucosa cancer and gall bladder cancer.

The report said among male cancer patients, 5,200 or 26.6 percent were reported with lung cancer while among female cancer patients,                4,747 or 29.3 percent patients were reported with breast cancer.

Of the ten types of cancer patients, 17.4 percent were lung cancer, 13.4 percent breast, 10.09 percent cervix, 4.9 percent Oesophagus, 4.3 percent stomach, 3.9 percent liver, 3.8 percent lymph node, 3.1 percent rectum, 3.0 percent cheek or buccal mucosa and 1.5 percent were gallbladder cancer patients.

The report said lung cancers occupied the first place in male patients (1,837 or 28.3 percent). Then, it mentioned Oesophagus (451 of 7.0 percent), stomach (349 or 5.4 percent), liver (322 or 5 percent), lymphoma (275 or 4.2 percent), rectum (197 or 3 percent), tongue (150 or 2.3 percent), glottis (144 or 2.2 percent), bladder (132 of 2 percent) and larynx (119 or 1.8 percent) cancers.

Among female carcinoma of the breast leads the tally (1615 or 30.9 percent) followed by cervix (1462 or 27.9 percent), lung (359 or 6.9 percent), cheek/buccal mucosa (207 or 4 percent), oesophagus (179 or 3.4 percent), liver (154 or 2.9 percent), stomach (148 or 2.8 percent), rectum (147 or 2.8 percent), gall bladder (143 or 2.7 percent) and lymphoma (96 or 1.8 percent).

Majority of the patients who attended OPD of NICRH were from Dhaka division (3923 or, 33.5 percent) and next from Chattogram division (2658 or 22.7 percent). The other divisional representations are as follows: Barishal (1316 or 11.2 percent), Mymensingh (1161 or 9.9 percent), Khulna (1039 or 8.9 percent), Rajshahi (804 or 6.9 percent), Rangpur (485 or 4.1 percent) and Sylhet (337 or 2.9 percent).

Mentioning that the patient of 0-18 years is considered as paediatric group, it said 2.9 percent of the patients were paediatric patients although the actual number might be much higher. Some 21.8 percent of the cancer patients were geriatric patients or aged 65 years and above, the report added.

Talking to the Daily Sun, Prof Dr Md Habibullah Talukder, former head of epidemiology department at the NICRH, said the report is based on only one hospital but it can gives a perception of the total cancer situation of the country as the NICRH is lone specialised cancer hospital of the country.

“From the available cancer registry report, we got a perception that around ten types of cancer diseases are dominating in our country while around 32 types of cancer can affect people. However, this report definitely will help the authority to take cancer control measures,” he said.

Habibullah Talukder said reports of population based and hospital based cancer registry across the country are needed to know the exact scenario. “But based on the available report, the authority has to take measures to control the cancer disease in the country immediately,” he added.

The cancer epidemiologist further said developing appropriate national strategies, plan of actions and programmes is urgent to control cancer effectively.

Prof Dr Robed Amin said the government will update the National Cancer Control Strategy and will apply it to control the cancer disease in the country.

The health ministry said the government is working to set up specialised cancer hospitals in eight divisional cities of the country in a bid to ensure proper cancer treatment for people.