silent killer n There were 5,56,400 cancer deaths in the country in 2010 n 3,95,000 cancer victims fell in the age group of 30 to 69 years n 40% less cases of cervical cancer were reported among Muslim woman as compared to Hindu women New Delhi, March 29 Tobacco is the single largest contributor to cancer mortality in India. It accounts for the majority of cancer deaths among both working males and females aged 30 to 69 years. Oral cancer causes twice as many deaths as lung cancer on account of increased use of chewing tobacco. The trend has been revealed by a new research published online by The Lancet yesterday. The report has been authored by Professor Prabhat Jha of the Centre for Global Health Research, Toronto. The study, conducted as part of the Million Death Study of the Registrar General of India, found that India recorded 5,56,400 cancer deaths in 2010. The most disturbing finding is that cancer is not a disease of the old as 71 per cent (3,95,000) of all cancer deaths in 2010 occurred among the 30-to-69-year-old persons (2,00,100 men and 1,95,300 women). Cancer deaths accounted for 6 pc of the deaths across all ages, but among the 30 to 69 years age group, the percentage rose to 8 pc of the 2•5 million total male deaths and 12 pc of the 1•6 million total female deaths. New research analysis also shows that oral, stomach, and lung cancers are major causes of death in Indian men while cervical, stomach, and breast cancers cause the most cancer deaths among Indian women. The incidence of cervical cancer among Muslim women were found to be 40 per cent less than among Hindu women, probably due to high circumcision rates among the Muslim men that has a protective effect against human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, a causative agent in cervical cancer. At 30 to 69 years, the three most common fatal cancers in men were found to be-oral (23 pc; 45,800 deaths due to lip and pharynx cancer), stomach (13 pc; 25,200 deaths); lung (11 pc; 22,900 deaths due to trachea/larynx cancers). For women, the leading causes of cancer death were cervical (17 pc; 33,400); stomach (14 pc; 27,500) and breast (10 pc; 19,900 deaths). "Tobacco-related cancers represented 42 per cent (84,000) of male and 18•3 per cent (35,700) of female cancer deaths among 30 to 69 years and there were twice as many deaths from oral cancers as lung cancer due to the common use of chewing tobacco in men and women," Jha said. Another highlight of the study is that the mortality rates are two times higher in the least educated than in the most educated adults. In terms of geographical variation, the authors said that a 30-year-old man in northeastern India had the highest chance (11•2 pc) of dying from cancer before 70 years. The risk was less than 3 pc for men in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odissa in eastern India. For women, the highest risk (6 pc) of dying from cancer before 70 years was in the northeastern states where tobacco use was rampant.