Kolkata, Nov 18: India is facing a steady rise in cancer cases, particularly oral and breast cancers, driven by lifestyle changes, tobacco use, delayed diagnosis, and environmental factors, eminent haematologist and Padma Shri awardee Dr Mammen Chandy said.

Chandy said these trends pose a major public health challenge for the country.

“Between 1990 and 2021, oral cancer mortality in India increased from 5.32 to 5.92 per 100,000, and the disability-adjusted life-year rate rose from 152.94 to 163.61,” he told PTI in an interview.

The disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) rate is a measure of the overall burden of a disease in a population, expressed as a rate per 100,000 people.

Chandy said the age-standardised prevalence rate (ASPR) also jumped from 15.71 to 25.46 during the period, refl

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