Oral cancer incidence trends in Delhi (1990-2014): An alarming scenario

Oral cancer ranks in the top three of all cancers in India, which accounts for over 30% of all cancers reported in the country, and oral cancer control is quickly becoming a global health priority. We have conducted an age period analysis of oral cancer incidence trends using the Population-Based Cancer Registry (PBCR) data in Delhi over a 24-year period (1990-2014) to address the trends of one of the leading cancer sites in Delhi.

The data of oral cancer proportion and incidence for the year 1990-2014 were taken from Delhi PBCR which records cancer cases from more than 180 government and 250 private facilities. The data were segregated by sex, age, and anatomical site and were analyzed to calculate age-specific incidence rates and expressed in cases per 100,000 persons/year.

The highest incidence for both genders was seen in the age group 50-59 years and the lowest incidence for both genders was in youngest age group (<20 years) for all the years from 1990 to 2014. The relative proportion of oral cancer among all types of cancer in Delhi has shown alarming rise from the year 2003 onward.

Increasing relative proportion of oral cancer can be implicated in increased consumption of gutkha chewers in the last decade of the 20^th Century. As access to health-care services and cancer-related awareness is highly variable in India, more in-depth analysis of the incidence of oral cancer in rural regions will be required.