TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: After making news for having the highest number of HIV+ cases in the State, the taluka of Salcete now also has the highest number of cancer cases, thus making the most populous taluka perhaps also the one needing the most medical attention.
Statistics from the State Cancer registry show that from the year 2009, when the cancer registry first started gathering information, till 2012, the last year for which data is available, Salcete has recorded 865 cases of various kinds of cancers nearly 260 cases higher than the taluka next in the list — Bardez which has recorded 598 cases. Tiswadi comes in third with 548 cases.
The Goa Cancer Registry was brought about as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai and the Goa government. The Goa cancer registry’s brief is to conduct official surveys, analyse the data and work out future estimates and conclude on risk factors of various cancers. Over four years the Goa cancer registry has analysed 3086 cases of cancer both from Goa Medical College as well as some cases from private hospitals.
Speaking to Herald, Dr José de Sa, the Chief Medical Officer of the Family Welfare Bureau said that the conclusions of the data analysed would provide insight into what is possibly causing cancers in the State including the foods the populace consumes, the living conditions, etc.
While Salcete in the South has the highest number of cases, district wise, North Goa has more cases of cancer than the south with North Goa reporting 2094 cases of cancer as compared to South’s 1712.
That breast cancer which tops the list of cancers may not come as a surprise, head and neck cancers that come in close second has raised eyebrows of the medical fraternity in the State. Over the four years that the registry data is available, there have been 756 cases of breast
cancer and 739 cases of head and neck cancer.
All other cancers clock far lesser figures with there being 334 cases of colon and rectum cancers, 328 of lung, 255 of blood, 200 of cervix, 180 of the stomach and 179 of the oesophagus. Combining the cases of colon and rectum, stomach and oesophagus, cancers of the digestive system are only next to breast and head and neck cancers.
It also comes as no surprise that cases of cancer in women are higher than that of men with 2026 cases in women reported as compared to 1780 of men.
The registry recorded 1099 cases in 2009, 877 in 2010, 933 in 2011 and 897 in 2012.
The registry will now analyze these statistics to draw up conclusions about the peculiarities of the incidence of cancers in the State.
