Around 1,000 people affected by cancer each year in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The number of cancer patients in Kerala has increased by 54 per cent over the past ten years, pushing the state towards an urgent need to expand treatment facilities.

According to data from 2019 to 2024, more than 1,000 new cancer cases are being diagnosed every year in Kerala. The state reports 173 cancer cases per one lakh population, compared to 114 in 2014. This is significantly higher than the national average of 98.5.

The number of cases rose from 39,672 in 2015 to 61,175 in 2024. A sharp increase was recorded between 2018 and 2019, when 8,766 new cases were reported. Since then, the state has been recording around 1,000 new patients every year. People of all age groups, from children to the elderly, are affected.

Experts say there is no single clear cause for the rise in cancer cases, but lifestyle factors play a major role. Unhealthy diet, obesity, and alcohol consumption are closely linked to cancer.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Cancer Registry Programme, the per capita cancer incidence in neighbouring states is lower: Tamil Nadu reports 137 cases per one lakh population, Karnataka 139, and Andhra Pradesh 144. It was Union Health Minister JP Nadda who presented these figures in the Lok Sabha.

Junk food and obesity

1. Doctors warn that vegetables contaminated with toxins, red meat, junk food, and heavily fried foods increase the risk of cancers of the large intestine, small intestine, food pipe, stomach, and rectum.
2. Obesity may lead to cancers of the breast, kidney, food pipe, pancreas, and gall bladder. Alcohol consumption is linked to liver and colorectal cancers.

Cancer cases in last six years

2024: 61,175
2023: 60,162
2022: 59,143
2021: 58,139
2020: 57,155
2019: 56,148

"Data collection is mainly based on figures from the Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram and cancer centres in Malabar and Kochi. If data from other hospitals are also included, the number of patients is likely to be even higher. Focused interventions are needed in regions where the disease is increasing," said Dr M.V. Pillai, cancer specialist.