EPIDEMIOLOGIC TREND IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF CANCER IN KASHMIR VALLEY

Study objective-To study the distribution of cancers, with particular emphasis on oesophageal cancer. Design-Patient records for 1986-88 in the Department of Oncology, SK Institute of Medical Sciences, were sea rched to identify cases and types of cancer. Setting-The Valley of Kas hmir, India. Subjects-Patients with cancer resident in the valley. Mai n results-The seven most common types of cancer in men were those of t he oesophagus, lungs, stomach, skin, upper respiratory tract, and urin ary tract. In women the most common types of cancer were those affecti ng the oesophagus, breast, cervix, stomach, skin, colon/rectum, and lu ngs. Cancer of the oesophagus was the most frequent type in both sexes , accounting for 42.9% of all types of cancer in the valley. This dist ribution of cancer types is strikingly different from that in the rest of India where oropharyngeal cancer is the most common form. Again, c ontrary to the trend in India as a whole, cervical cancer is not a lea ding type of cancer in the valley and is less frequent even than cance r of the breast in the women. Conclusions-The preponderance of oesopha geal cancer was attributable to the local practice of drinking boiling hot salt tea. Universal male circumcision in the majority community i n the valley was considered to be partly responsible for low cervical cancer frequency.