NEIGRIHMS(North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences) director Dr Nalin Mehta calledMeghalayathe “cancer capital of India” during a consultative meeting with the religious leaders of Meghalaya and state health authorities, organised by the department of surgical oncology of the institute.
He said Meghalaya is among the states with the highest incidence of cancer (131 per lakh Population) in the country and hence it is important to raise awareness through every available option.
Meghalaya has one of the highest cancer rates in the country and the state also grapples with a significant prevalence of tobacco use, with 47% of adults (Global Adult Tobacco Survey, 2016-17) and 34% of 13-15 year olds (Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 2019) consuming tobacco in various forms. Esophageal cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer amongst the state’s populace, with a staggering 71.2 per lakh people affected. This surpasses the national Average by more than 10 fold and poses a considerable concern for Meghalaya,” an official record highlighted.