Breast cancer strikes early, detected late in J&K

Srinagar, Feb 21: Late-stage diagnoses, limited public awareness, and unique molecular characteristics are exacerbating the crisis of breast cancer in J&K, a review published earlier revealed.

Most women get cancer in young age, but detection is delayed due to limited awareness and screening.

According to the review, breast cancer incidence has surged by approximately 39 percent between 1990 and 2016.

This shift is driven by lifestyle changes, urbanisation, and ageing populations. In J&K, the situation is more concerning.

The hospital-based studies that have been reviewed show that breast cancer accounts for up to 35.7 percent of reported malignancies in the Jammu division. It is the most prevalent cancer there.

In the Kashmir division, it is the second most common and comprises about 16.1 percent of cases.

The review emphasises that patients in J&K often present at advanced stages of cancer.

This leads ìto poorer outcomesî.

A major finding in the review is the younger age of onset of breast cancer.

Most women present with this cancer in their late 30s to early 60s.

While the cancer ìstrikes earlierî in J&K but is ìdetected laterî, notes the review.

The late detection is attributed to low awareness, cultural stigmas, and inadequate screening infrastructure.

In addition to these epidemiological patterns, the study also highlights the distinct molecular patterns of breast cancer in J&K.

There is a higher prevalence of aggressive subtypes like ìtriple-negative breast cancerî here.

This may be due to genetic and environmental factors typical of the areaís population.

ìSuch molecular datasets are currently exclusive to Kashmir, indicating the absence of comparable data from Jammu and underscoring the need for region-wide tumour profiling,î the study notes.

Several studies from J&K highlight the high levels of psychological burden reported among patients, including anxiety, depression, and social isolation.

ìThere is stigma, social isolation,î the review notes.

The clinical data, the authors state, is richer for Kashmir; however, the psychosocial evidence is concentrated in Jammu.

ìThis highlights the need for comprehensive bilateral data integration,î the researchers note.

The authors have recommended major policy changes to initiate community-based awareness drives and better training for healthcare providers.

They have also called for investment in early detection technologies and decentralisation of detection avenues.

The study ëEpidemiological Landscape of Breast Cancer in Northern India: A Narrative Review of Jammu and Kashmir,í was released on January 20 in the peer-reviewed journal Cureus.

It has shed light on various aspects of the growing epidemic of breast cancer here.

The study has been authored by ìGita Devi, Manisha Rathod, Mitesh Kaliya, and colleaguesî.

It compiles and analyses existing literature to underline clinical, epidemiological and psychosocial aspects of the disease in J&K.