Chandigarh: At 90 cancer patients for every one lakh population, Punjab has a higher cancer rate than the country’s. The Malwa region in that state has the highest average of 136 cancer patients per 1 lakh people, according to a Punjab government study released on Monday.

The national average is 80 cancer cases per lakh population. Data over the past five years show that on an average, 18 people die of cancer each day. There are 23,874 cancer patients in Punjab with 33,318 cancer-related deaths in last five years.

33,318 deaths reported in last five years, says first state-wide survey

The first ever state-wide survey of cancer victims in Punjab has revealed high incidence of cancer in the Malwa belt, even as the cancer cases in the state are only a little more than the national average. The survey has also reported average cancer prevalence of 216 cases per lakh population and suspected cancer cases of 319 per lakh population. If these two figures are taken into account, it seems a large number of cancer cases have been going undetected till now and that cancer incidence figures in Punjab could be much more than have been reported even in this survey. This was confirmed by Secretary, Health Vini Mahajan.

An eight-member central team comprising members from the Planning Commission, Central Water Board and drainage experts on Monday visited the water-logged villages in Muktsar, where a large swath of

Muktsar: Despite the fact that at least 1,100 persons have died of cancer in Muktsar district alone in the past 10 years and the disease is spreading its tentacles at an alarming pace, the health a

Aarti Dhar

NEW DELHI: The Malwa belt in Punjab has recorded high incidence of breast cancer in the State, according to a study by the United Kingdom-based non-governmental organisation,

faced with increasing scientific evidence of pesticides-induced health disorders, the Punjab government has decided to begin a cancer registry programme. Adding to numerous health studies, two

Forests, fields are all vulnerable