‘Oral cancer survival rate highest in city’

Ahmedabad: The state is long considered one of the major regions for head and neck cancers, primarily due to tobacco consumption. Among the population-based cancer registries (PBCRs) in India, maintained at Gujarat Cancer Research Institute, the state is represented by ‘Ahmedabad urban'. Based on 2024 statistics, head and neck cancers dominated the top five cancer sites, affecting three sites in males and two sites in females, indicating its severity.
A recently published study with authors from the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), along with various hospitals and cancer research institutes such as GCRI in Ahmedabad, indicated that the PBCR at Ahmedabad urban had one of the highest oral cancer prevalence rates among the PBCRs.
On the other hand, the survival rate after five years of detection was also found to be the highest.
The study, ‘Geographic Disparities in Oral Cancer Survival From 10 Population-Based Cancer Registries in India' by Krishnan Satishkumar, Prashant Mathur and Jayasankar Sankarapillai, along with others, was published recently in the JAMA Network Open journal. From GCRI, the contributing authors include director Dr Shashank Pandya along with Dr Anand Shah.
The study was based on data of over 14,000 patients, of whom 10,000-plus were from three PBCRs of Ahmedabad urban, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram. "Ahmedabad urban exhibited the highest age-adjusted incidence rate of 30 per 1 lakh population among male patients," the study says.
"Ahmedabad urban recorded the highest survival rates in all age groups for male patients – 63.5% at 18-44 years, 57.5% at 45-64 years, and 59.3% at 65 years… Among female patients 65 years and older, Ahmedabad urban showed a peak survival rate of 52%," according to the study. The median observed survival rates for male and female patients at 5 years were 31.2% and 32.1% respectively.
"Regular follow-ups and improved awareness among patients are the key elements highlighted through the study. Survival rates have improved with new technologies and treatment methods," said a senior GCRI official. Dr Kaustubh Patel, a city-based senior head and neck cancer surgeon, said that compared to past decades, there is certainly a better awareness among patients. "Early intervention improves chances of survival," he said.