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IARC 60th Anniversary - 19-21 May 2026

Session : 20/05/26 - Posters

Monitoring Survey of Cancer Risk Factors and Health System Response in Northeast India-Mizoram

ZOMAWIA E. 1, ZUALA S. 2, V.L. HMANGAIHZUALI E. 1, PACHUAU L. 1

1 Civil Hospital Aizawl, Aizawl, India; 2 Zoram Medical College & Hospital, Falkawn, India

Background: The incidence, mortality and cumulative risk of developing cancer has been consistently high in the North-eastern Region of India. Cancer is among the leading causes of death in Mizoram. This survey is an approach to implement a baseline monitoring system to drive us in understanding the linkage between exposures to risk factors, other NCDs and cancer incidence. Materials and Methods: A Cross sectional study was conducted among 2880 households from 60 PSU who were selected using multistage cluster sampling technique. The data were collected using Household level Interview, Adult Interview, Cancer patient interview and Health Facility Interview. Results: Nearly half of respondents had a clustering of > 3 Cancer risk factors. The prevalence of current tobacco use (smoked or smokeless) was as high as 77.1%. Over 80 % of the respondents consumed fermented products. Nearly half of the respondents were pre-hypertensive. 35.9% of the respondents were overweight. Nearly 41.3% of the respondents had central obesity. Around 42.8% of the respondents were aware of cancer screening. Less than 25% of the surveyed PHCs’ provided cancer screening services. Conclusion: The high prevalence of cancer risk factors underscores the urgent need for comprehensive and sustained efforts towards prevention, education, and intervention. The challenges posed by a poor health system for cancer prevention are grave and demand urgent attention from all stakeholders involved in healthcare delivery.