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CC BY 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2024; 45(03): 266-270
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1771181
Perspective Article

The Conundrum of the Cancer Burden and Disparity in Cancer Care Delivery in Northeast India, with Special Reference to Nagaland

Matsungshila Pongener 
1   Department of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
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Introduction

Cancer is a leading contributor to mortality worldwide with approximately nine million deaths in 2020.[1] India accounted for an estimated 7% of cancer cases worldwide with common cancer sites in the breast (14%), lip, oral cavity (10%), and the cervix uteri (9%).[2] Further, the highest estimated mortality rates were due to cancers of the lip, oral cavity (13%), lung (11%), and esophagus (8%).[2]

India has a diverse sociocultural population with unique habits and dietary practices; the incidence of cancers varies geographically due to the interplay of the genetic determinants and environmental factors.[3] The Northeast (NE) region[i] lies on the Eastern border of India and is inhabited by indigenous communities distinctive by a complexed transition zone of cultural, ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity.[4] Further, these populations share their genomic pool with the southeastern region of China where nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is common. Comparatively, the incidence of NPC is higher in the NE region than in the rest of country.[5] Furthermore, there are higher incidences of specific types of cancer, such as the departure in the leading cancer site among males from the NE region to the rest of India (ROI).[6] Cancer of the esophagus is the common cancer site in the NE region compared to lip and oral cancer in ROI.[6]

Given the high incidence of cancer in the NE region with distinct clinical presentation compared to the rest of the county, this article highlights issues on cancer burden and the disparity in the cancer care delivery, and discusses ways to address the same.

Note

The manuscript, “The conundrum of the cancer burden and disparity in cancer care delivery in NE India, with special reference to Nagaland,” has been read and approved by the author (Matsungshila Pongener) that the requirements for authorship have been met, and that the author believes that the manuscript represents honest work.


Authors' Contributions

Matsungshila Pongener contributed to the concept, intellectual content, literature search, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, and manuscript review.




Publication History

Article published online:
26 June 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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