Why more boys than girls have cancer in India

November 30, 2022 13:21

A young cancer survivor

More boys than girls with cancer in India are being diagnosed with the disease and the probable cause for this is gender bias in society, according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology.

The researchers collected individual data of children aged 0-19 years with cancer extracted from the hospital-based records of three cancer centres in India between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2019.

They also used data from two population-based cancer registries: PBCRs in Delhi between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2014 and Madras Metropolitan Tumour Registry between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2017.

The researchers from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and Cancer Institute (WIA) Chennai calculated the male to female sex ratio from the three hospitals in the context of the ratio in the corresponding PBCRs.

This ratio allowed them to see how many boys with cancer were seeking treatment for each girl seeking treatment. The team separately analysed the male to female ratios of patients undergoing stem cell transplant which is a comparatively expensive procedure used in cancer care.

"We observed that among nearly 11,000 patients registered in the PBCRs, there was significant skew in favour of boys for getting diagnosed with cancer. Similarly, among the 22,000 children with cancer enrolled in the three hospitals, we saw that more boys were seeking treatment than girls," said Professor Sameer Bakhshi, from Department of Medical Oncology, AIIMS New Delhi.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Fun Time! It's Quiz Time!

Sukanya Verma quizzes you to find out just how much you know about the movies.

Rahul to contest LS polls from Rae Bareli, his loyalist from Amethi

Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, the party said in a statement.

Raj Bhavan staffer accuses Bengal guv of molestation, Bose denies charge

Senior police officials said they received a complaint and are looking into it.

'Every Election, BJP Unleashes This Demon...'

'... dividing society not just on religious lines, but also creating rift in families and among brothers and sisters.'

What Did Rohit Tell Rinku?

The brief chat between Rohit and Rinku sparked curiosity.