Hyderabad: Oral cancer has been identified as the most common and preventable cancer among men in Sindh, according to the first report of the Hyderabad Cancer Registry (HCR), launched at the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS). The registry was inaugurated on Saturday at LUMHS’s Diagnostic and Research Laboratory, aiming to provide crucial data for cancer prevention and policy planning across Pakistan.
The report reveals that oral cancer tops the list among male patients, while breast cancer remains the most prevalent among women. The cancer data collected between January 2020 and December 2023 includes over 7,169 malignant cases, with 46.2% males (3,310 cases) and 53.8% females (3,859 cases). Most of these — 97.18% — occurred in adults, with the rest in adolescents and children.
The registry, a joint initiative between LUMHS, the Karachi Cancer Registry, Aga Khan University, the Health Research Institute, the National Institute of Child Health, and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, is part of a broader cancer surveillance network aiming to detect regional trends and risk factors.
LUMHS Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Ikram Din Ujjan said that oral cancer in men is strongly linked to the widespread use of smokeless tobacco products, such as gutka and paan, even though it is largely preventable. “This region ranks oral cancer at the top, whereas globally, it stands at 13th. This alarming difference demands aggressive action,” he stressed.
In female adults, breast, oral, and ovarian cancers were found to be the top three malignancies. Among children and adolescents, cancers of the orbit, oral cavity, brain, colon, and bones were most common.
Dr Ujjan urged the government to take urgent measures, including strict regulation of chewable tobacco products and to increase taxes on smoking items — a strategy proven effective in the West. He also called for routine breast cancer screening for women attending outpatient departments in public hospitals.
The data were meticulously gathered, cleaned, and analyzed by standard epidemiological guidelines, with variables like age, gender, and primary tumour site. The effort was supported by a province-wide outreach programme that ensured sample collection even from remote areas of Sindh.
Health experts are now advocating for targeted cancer control initiatives based on these findings, emphasizing preventive strategies, early detection, and public awareness campaigns as the following essential steps in tackling Pakistan’s growing cancer burden.
