The latest available figures with the National Cancer Registry paints a grim picture of the situation in the State.
The Thiruvananthapuram-based Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) accounted for the second most number of women patients across the country while the most number of cases of thyroid cancer was reported from Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts as per the data with the National Cancer Registry.
The National Cancer Registry’s hospital and population-based study was last published in 2020.
As per the RCC’s last published report from 2018-19, 2.74 lakh patients sought treatment in a year with a daily average of 915 patients. The number of newly registered patients stood at 15,627.
Among women patients approaching the RCC, 28.50% accounted for breast cancer and 18.90% for reproductive system cancer. Among men, 21% had cancer in the neck and throat, 16.90% in the lungs, and 22.20% in the stomach and related organs of the digestive system.
The Malabar Cancer Centre (MCC) at Thalassery had a total of 5,195 patients out of which 53.90% were men, as per the latest published report for the 2018-19 period.
Figures of cancer patients from the medical colleges, government hospitals and private hospitals in the State were not immediately available, making the situation even grimmer. Apart from the RCC and MCC, the State government hasn’t started any new cancer treatment centres, forget about research centres, in the past two decades, leaving patients with very limited affordable treatment facilities.
While the private sector has made great strides in cancer treatment, the cost remains prohibitive, said a statement issued by the Justice Krishna Iyer Movement.
