Incidence of Cancers in Kerala, India: A Review of Population-Based Registry Data

Kerala in India leads the nation in both Human Development Index and Sustainable Development Index. The state is a harbinger for the rest of the country in matters of health. Documentation of cancer trends and quantifying the cancer burden is crucial for planning oncology services in the country. In this study, we aim to perform a time series analysis using data from the National Cancer Registry.

Data for crude incidence, age-adjusted incidence, and disease-specific incidence were extracted from published reports of the Population-Based Cancer registries at Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. Data collected between 2006 and 2008 were analyzed and published in 2010. Data collected between 2012 and 2016 were published in 2020. Descriptive statistics was used for analysis.

Age-adjusted incidence rates increased from 121.7 per 100,000 men to 137.8 in Thiruvananthapuram from 2006-2008 to 2012-2016 period. Among women, in Thiruvananthapuram, the age-adjusted rates increased from 108.3 to 127.3. In Kollam, the age-adjusted incidence rate increased from 113.3 to 127.1 among men and 89.7 to 107.1 among women. Lung and breast cancers remain the most common cancers among men and women.

There has been an increase in both crude and age-adjusted incidence rates in Kerala. However, these changes are in line with global trends in cancer incidence. Lifestyle changes and reduced tobacco and alcohol use will help decrease the incidence of cancer in Kerala.