Alarming situation | Cancer patients on rise, Jammu worst affected

Max prevalence in age group of 60-79 years  

Arvind Sharma

Jammu Tawi, Jun 01: The number of cancer patients has increased manifold in the Jammu region in the last ten (10) years and, as a matter of concern, Jammu district has been the worst affected as it has the maximum number of such patients as compared to all other nine (9) districts of this region.

As per the official figures available exclusively with the Northlines, a total of nineteen thousand five hundred and forty nine (19549) patients with different cancers were reported in the hospitals of Jammu region out of which Jammu District recorded the maximum number of these patients in the last ten years.

Jammu District reported a total of 7779 cancer patients in the last 10 years followed by Kathua where 1866 such patients were reported.

This was followed by Udhampur, which reported 1854 patents with different cancers. District Ramban was the safest zone as far as cancer patients are concerned as it reported a mere 438 such patients in the last ten years.

As per the figures available, the cancer prevalence has been found maximum among the elderly aged between 60-79 years and is minimal among the people aged between 0-19 years.

A total of 8554 patients with different kinds of cancers were reported in the last ten years in the age group of 60-79 years. This was followed by the age group between 40-49 years as 7615 people with different cancers were in the ten districts of JAmu region.

As per the figures, maximum number of cancer patients in Jammu region have been suffering from Lung cancer as 2878 such patients reported in different hospitals of Jammu region in the last ten years.

The people suffering from head and neck cancer stand at number two in Jammu region as 2131 such patients have reported in different hospitals of Jammu region. The number of people suffering from breast cancer stands at number 3 as 1552 such patients has undergone treatment in the last ten years.

The number of people suffering from cervix cancer is 1114, while a total of 914 patients were reported with oral cancer.

All the above mentioned cancer patients have been treated till date, Principal, Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu (GMC&H), Dr Ashutosh Gupta, informed the Northlines.