Prevalence of Head and Neck Cancer in the State of Meghalaya: Hospital-based Study

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn India, 20 to 40% of all cancer arises in the head and neck region. The highest rate is seen in the eastern and southern regions of our country. The alarming high prevalence of head and neck cancer (HNC) in this region has prompted us to undertake this retrospective study. This study is to give the picture on the prevalence of HNC in the region, as such studies are lacking, till date. This is a 5 years retrospective study of cancer patients from 2007 to 2011 who have been registered in Civil Hospital, Shillong. The period of study is short as registry before 2007 was not properly recorded, but the high prevalence of cancer especially HNC warranted the need to undertake this retrospective study. During the 5-year period, there were a total of 3,123 cancer patients, registered in Civil Hospital, Shillong. In this study, HNC and esophageal cancer constitute 2,207 (70.67%) cases of the total body malignancy (TBM) which is much higher than other studies done in other parts of the country. Fourth decade is the most common age group comprising of 471 cases which accounts for 32.72% of all HNC. This high prevalence of HNC in the young population of the region is alarming and hence needs a comprehensive afford to meet this challenge.This paper, therefore, is an attempt to quantify the spectrum of HNC in the region hoping that this paper will help the health professionals to understand the burden of HNC in the region, so as to generate strategies for future planning.How to cite this articleShunyu NB, Syiemlieh J. Prevalence of Head and Neck Cancer in the State of Meghalaya: Hospital-based Study. Int J Head and Neck Surg 2013;4(1):1-5.