Cancer trends in Kashmir, India: A comprehensive systematic review
Arshad Manzoor Najmi, Nazir Ahmad Dar, Shaqul Qamar Wani, Malik Tariq Rasool, Mushtaq Ahmad Sofi, Nazir Ahmad Khan, Nahidah NazeerAbstract:
BACKGROUND:
Cancer incidence is increasing all over the world, including India, and in this part of the country, however, the patterns and incidence of various cancers are different here than in the rest of the country. Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are the most common cancers, followed by breast and lung cancers.
METHODS:
We searched various academic search engines, including PubMed, Scopus, DOAJ, the Web of Sciences, Google Scholar, and the Embase database, and the local news portals to collect published information on the incidence, trends, and patterns of various GI malignancies, apart from dietary and other lifestyle habits peculiar to the Kashmiri population and their association with these cancers.
RESULTS:
We found that cancer of the GI tract, lung cancer, and breast cancer are among the common cancers in our region. The pattern and incidence differ from those in the other parts of the country and the world. In contrast, cervical, skin, and head and neck cancers are uncommon in our population compared to the rest of the country, probably due to different sociocultural practices.
CONCLUSION:
In Kashmir, the pattern and incidence of cancer vary from the rest of the nation because of the different dietary and lifestyle factors. The different sociocultural and climatic reasons may be responsible for different cancers and overall different trends of cancers, like the traditional food of sun-dried vegetables, preserved pickles, spicy food, high salt intake, hot beverages, and the use of kangris (heated earthen pot) in winters to keep oneself warm in the extreme cold.