Nagaland: Less than 1% undergoes cancer screening

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Dec. 16 (EMN): Nagaland is among the states with high cancer prevalence but less than one percent has ‘ever undergone medical examination for common type of cancers’, according to a survey.

The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), which released key findings for 22 states and union territories, showed that screening for various types of cancer among adults (30-49 years) in Nagaland is low in both urban and rural areas.  

Women from Nagaland who have “ever undergone” a screening for cervical cancer is 0.3% in urban area and 0.3% in rural area. Women in the age group of 30 to 49 years who have at any time undergone breast examination for breast cancer is 0.4% (urban) and 0.2% (rural). The percentage of women who have ever undergone an oral cavity examination for oral cancer is 0.6% in urban and 0.3% in rural area.

Oral cavity examination for oral cancer among men (age group of 30 to 49 years) from Nagaland is even lower than female with 0.1% in urban area and 0.3% in rural area. The survey did not made a mentioned of other types of cancer screenings among Nagaland men.

The survey also provided district-wise percentage of screening for cancer among Nagaland women. In Dimapur, 0.2% of women had undergone screening test for cervical cancer, 0.7 for oral cancer examination and 0.0% for breast cancer.

In Kiphire, women who had undergone screening test for cervical cancer was 1.2%, 1.1% for breast cancer and 0.9% for oral cancer. In Kohima, 0.1% has undergone screening for cervical cancer, and 0.4% each for breast cancer and oral cancer.

In Longleng, 0.8% of women had screened for cervical cancer, 0.6% for breast cancer, and 0.7% for oral cancer. In Mokokchung, the percentage stood at 0.0% for cervical and oral examination and 0.4% for breast cancer.

In Mon district, 0.3% each had screened for cervical and breast cancer but 0.0% for oral cancer, while it is 0.2% for breast and oral cancer in Peren and 0.3% for cervical cancer.

In Tuensang, 0.9% women had screened for cervical cancer, 0.7% for breast cancer and 0.5% for oral cancer. In Zunheboto district, the survey 0.2% for cervical cancer, 0.4% for breast cancer and 0.7% for oral cancer

The survey showed zero screening for all the three types of cancers among women in Phek and Wokha districts.

The National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) stated that Nagaland is a cancer-burdened-proven state, as there are no facilities for its management. It said this has compelled 90% of detected cancer cases to move out of the state in search of treatment, burdening the state economically. Higher prevalence rate is attributed to the ignorance of the early signs and symptoms of cancer, leading to either undetected or late stage detection, resulting higher rate of morbidity and mortality, it added.

The NCRP 2020 report, which released in August this year, stated that the proportion of cancers associated with tobacco use in Nagaland was 39.3% among males and 11.5% among females. It also stated that India’s cancer burden could increase from 1.39 million during this year to 1.57 million in 2025 and tobacco-related cancers likely to account for 27.1% of the total cases in 2020.