Dhaka: As elsewhere in the world, cancer cases have marked a significant rise in Bangladesh during the last couple of years, necessitating strategic interventions and care to contain the deadly disease.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, strategic interventions should focus on improving public awareness, early detection for cancers, expanding access to screening facilities, and enhancing diagnostics at the district level, experts have opined. Cancer is currently one of the leading causes of death in Bangladesh. In one year, 150,781 new cancer patients were diagnosed in the country, with 18,137 succumbing to the disease.
Statistics reveal that the number of women diagnosed with cancer and dying from the disease is higher than that of men in Bangladesh. Studies indicate that 59.5 percent of adults with cancer are women, while 40.5 percent are men. Among cancer patients, 74.8 percent are adults and 25.2 percent are children. Furthermore, women are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at a younger age than men.
Among adult men, bladder cancer affects 10.2 percent, prostate cancer 9.9 percent, and oral cancer 8.5 percent. Conversely, among women, 23.3 percent are affected by breast cancer, 21.5 percent by cervical cancer, and 8.9 percent by oral cancer. The incidence of reproductive system cancer stands at 11.2 percent in men and 31.9 percent in women.
A recent study conducted on 1,656 individuals using a hospital-based cancer registry revealed that 1,238 were adults and 418 were children. In men, lung cancer incidence was 9.6 percent, leukemia 9.4 percent, and lymphoma 9 percent. For women, breast cancer incidence was 28.1 percent, thyroid cancer 16.1 percent, and cervical cancer 12.2 percent. Leukemia affected 71.5 percent of boys and 66.5 percent of girls, while lymphoma and bone cancer affected 10.3 percent and 11.6 percent of children, respectively.
The study further highlights that women are affected by cancer from the age of 15, with most cases detected by age 46. In contrast, men are often affected after age 20, with most cases identified by age 50.
Dr. Habibullah Talukder Raskin, Professor at the National Cancer Research Institute, attributed the rise in cancer rates among women to lifestyle changes. He noted that more women are going out, with some taking up smoking or drinking alcohol. Additionally, factors such as working in dusty environments, not breastfeeding, and irregular or fatty eating habits contribute to the increasing cancer rates, he added.