The entire Savara tribal pocket along the Andhra-Odisha border in the erstwhile Srikakulam district remains the hot spot for oral cancer in Andhra Pradesh owing chiefly to its practice of ‘reverse smoking’.
The cases are being diagnosed mostly in the stretch from Seetampeta, Dhonbai, Kothuru, Bhamili and, Battili, mostly inhabited by the Savara tribe, classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
Women are believed to be the most affected and diagnosed with oral cancer, mostly palate cancer, with a history of ‘reverse smoking’ in their everyday life, say the doctors associated with the cases and treatment.
