Shillong, Sept 24: The number of new cancer cases in Meghalaya has been projected to rise gradually in the coming years, according to a report.
It says 3,206 new cancer cases are likely to be recorded among adults in 2030, up from an estimated 3,109 case cases in 2026, thus recording 98 more new cancer cases in a year in four years.
The report titled “Meghalaya Cancer Burden Profile 2026” was released by the Indian Council of Medical Research–National Institute of NCD Epidemiology (ICMR-NINE) on the occasion of World Cancer Research Day on Wednesday.
ICMR-NINE has brought out state-level cancer information together as cancer factsheets for 23 States & UTs to make evidence more accessible for researchers, health professionals and policymakers.
The 2026 estimate comprises 2,001 cases among men and 1,108 among women. For 2030, the profile projects 2,058 cases among men and 1,148 among women.
The figures underline a continuing cancer burden in the state, with oesophageal cancer emerging as the leading cancer site among both men and women.
Among men, oesophageal cancer accounts for 32.1% of cancers, followed by oral cavity (10.9%), hypopharynx (9.2%), larynx (6.8%) and lung (6.5%).
Among women, oesophageal cancer accounts for 22.6%, followed by oral cavity (11.3%), cervical cancer (8.9%), breast cancer (8.3%) and stomach cancer (6.8%). The incidence data cover the 2015–2019 period.
Tobacco link remains stark
The profile shows a strong association between Meghalaya’s cancer burden and tobacco-related cancer sites.
Tobacco-related sites account for 81.5% of cancers among men and 64.4% among women in the 2015–2019 adult cancer data.
Oesophageal cancer accounts for the largest share of tobacco-related sites — 39% among men and 35% among women — followed by cancers of the hypopharynx, oral cavity, lung and other sites.
The state’s broader health profile shows that 57.7% of men and 28.2% of women aged 15 years and above currently use tobacco, while alcohol use is reported among 32.4% of men and 1.5% of women.
Screening remains extremely low
Despite the cancer burden, reported screening levels remain low.
Among women aged 30–49, only 0.6% had ever undergone screening for cervical cancer, while 0.5% had undergone a breast examination and 0.4% an oral cancer examination.
Among men in the same age group, just 1.2% had ever undergone an oral cavity examination for cancer.
The report’s clinical data also show that several cancers are being detected after they have progressed beyond the localised stage.
For example, 50% of male lung cancer cases and 57% of female stomach cancer cases recorded in the hospital-based registry were classified as distant metastasis. Among women with breast cancer, 37% were localised, 51% locoregional and 11% had distant metastasis.
Childhood cancer also reported
The profile estimates an average of 19 new childhood cancer cases annually among boys and 12 among girls during 2015–2019.
For 2030, the number of new cases among children aged 0–19 is estimated at 35 boys and 16 girls, compared with 28 boys and 17 girls in 2026.
Registry covers 62.8% of state population
The state’s population-based cancer registry, established in 2010 at Civil Hospital, Shillong, covers East Khasi Hills, West Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi and Jaintia Hills.
It covers 62.8% of Meghalaya’s population and draws information from 35 sources. The state has one hospital-based cancer registry, at NEIGRIHMS, Shillong.
The ICMR-NINE report cautions that its latest estimates use updated registry data, additional population-based registries and improved methods. Therefore, comparisons with earlier estimates may not necessarily represent actual changes in cancer burden.
Limited palliative care capacity
Meghalaya has 459 sub-centres/Health and Wellness Centres, 147 primary health centres/Health and Wellness Centres, 28 community health centres and 11 district hospitals, along with two medical colleges.
The report lists only one palliative care centre in the state.
The age-standardised cancer burden is estimated at 2,609 Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) per 100,000 population for both sexes, with the burden higher among men at 3,524 compared with 1,763 among women.
