New Delhi, Nov 17 – A recent study published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine journal reveals that more than 1.3 million lives are claimed each year by cancers attributed to smoking tobacco in seven countries, including India.
Researchers, hailing from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), and Kings College London, conducted the study across India, China, the UK, Brazil, Russia, the US, and South Africa. Together, these nations contribute to more than half of the global burden of cancer deaths annually.
The study not only highlighted the significant impact of smoking but also underscored the combined toll of three other preventable risk factors: alcohol, obesity, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. Collectively, these factors accounted for nearly two million deaths.
Analyzing the years of life lost to cancer, the researchers determined that these preventable risk factors result in over 30 million years of life lost each year, with smoking tobacco alone leading to a staggering 20.8 million years of life lost.
Judith Offman, Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, emphasized the need to assess how different countries address these risk factors. She noted that cervical cancer remains a critical concern, with someone globally succumbing to it every two minutes, and nearly 90% of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Offman called for comprehensive screening and HPV vaccination programs to mitigate this significant health challenge.
The researchers extrapolated their findings by collecting population attributable fractions from previous global studies and applying them to estimates of cancer deaths in 2020. Notably, the impact of preventable risk factors varied across different regions and cancer types.
For instance, in India, premature deaths were more prevalent in men due to head and neck cancer, while women experienced more premature deaths from gynecological cancer. In contrast, lung cancer dominated as the leading cause of years of life lost to tobacco smoking in other countries.
The study identified disparities among countries, citing differences in cervical screening comprehensiveness. Countries like India and South Africa, with less comprehensive screening, saw more premature deaths from gynecological cancers due to HPV infection.
Furthermore, gender differences were observed in cancer deaths and years of life lost, with men experiencing higher rates due to smoking and alcohol consumption. The study emphasized the urgency of enhanced access to cervical screening and HPV vaccination in countries like South Africa and India, where HPV led to particularly high rates of years of life lost with a significant gender imbalance.
In conclusion, Offman stressed the need for global collaboration in adopting measures like HPV vaccination and cervical screening to eliminate cervical cancer as a pervasive public health problem.
