DEHRADUN: Despite the increasing number of cancer cases in Uttarakhand, screening for the disease in the state remains one of the lowest in the country and much lower than the national average in the last two years.
The screening done for cervical cancer in women between 2020 and 2021 was 0.4 per cent in Uttarakhand, as compared to the national average of 1.9.
Similarly, screening for breast cancer and oral cancer in women in the time period was 0.2 and 0.3 per cent, as compared to the national average of 0.9 and 0.9 respectively.
The figures for screening of oral cancer in men were much lower in all states. In Uttarakhand, it was 0.4 per cent, against the national average of 1.2 percent.
The data was revealed by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) from 2019 to 2021, which surveyed 11 states: Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
According to oncologists, oral cancer remains the most common form among men, but the report suggests that in urban areas no men undergo oral cancer screening while only 0.5% screenings are done in rural areas. The national average for urban areas remains at 1% while that for rural belts is at 1.3%.
Similarly, screenings for breast cancer and cervical cancer, the most common forms among women, are only at 0.2 and 0.9% respectively in urban areas and 0.2% each in rural areas.
The average remains at 0.2 and 0.4% in the state for breast and cervical cancer compared to 0.9 and 1.9% in the country. Experts believe that these figures are alarming and must be addressed on an urgent basis.
“The overall screening in the country is low and in the state is much lower. There are many factors, including psychological, social, financial, and emotional ones, that make this a social taboo. We need to enhance our cancer screening services. Cancer is a reality of today but when detected in its early stage, it has a very high cure rate (over 90%),” said Dr Pankaj Garg, a senior oncologist.
Officials believe that the major reason for the lack of screening is the terrain of the state and the lack of medical services available here. “Only major cities like Haldwani and Dehradun have proper facilities. Villages have male migration because of which female detection often takes a back seat. The travel distances are much higher compared to the plains. And the biggest reason is that early detection is often avoided when the public ignores the symptoms. Most cases that come to light are from stage 3 or 4,” said Dr Manoj Upreti, chief medical officer. States like Haryana, MP, Jharkhand, Odisha while still lower than national average have better screening percentage compared to Uttarakhand while Punjab and Tamil Nadu have higher than national average figures.
The NFHS was designated by the Ministry of Health and Family Affairs through the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai. The idea is to provide high quality data pertaining to health, family affairs and emerging issues.
