Cancer prevalence high among children, teenagers in Bangladesh
Published: 22 March 2025, 9:31:22
Number of cancer patients is on rise in Bangladesh due to food habits, unaware lifestyle, and negative impact of industrialization and technology.
World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated the number of cancer patients more than 15 lakh, mostly children and teenagers.
According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, about one-third of cancer patients are children and adolescents of 01 to 19 year age group. Out of them mostly are children between 15 to 19 years.
On the other hand, about 13 percent children are affected by cancer before reaching at the age of only four years.
Besides, one percent children are affected between 10 years to 14 years and two percent are in their 5 year to 9 year age.
Experts said environmental hazards in city life, chemical reaction in foods and impact of genealogy are the main causes of cancer.
Dr SM Rezanur Rahman of Child Hematology and Oncology Department of Dhaka Medical College said genetic reasons are mostly responsible for cancer. If there is any cancer patient in the family, it might be a problem for the next generation.
Besides, he said, environment pollution, food habit, indiscipline lifestyle are also main reasons for cancer.
Males are mostly affected by cancer after their birth while women become affected when in their older age, according to the BBS survey.
Number of cancer patients in the cities and villages is also different. The ratio of affected children in city areas is about 27 percent more than villages.
Professor Dr AKM Amirul Morshed Khasru of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology Department of DMC conducted a research about the types of cancer in children and teenagers.
As per the research, children and teenagers are mostly affected by leukaemia. Thirty-one percent cancer patient is affected by the leukaemia and 26 percent children and teenager are affected by brain and spinal cancers while 10 percent patients are affected by lymph cancer.
Besides, five, six and seven percent patients are affected by renal, neuroblastoma and soft tissue cancers respectively. On the other hand, the children are also affected by bone, germ cell and other cancers.
The doctor claimed that food habit and uses of technology in industrial areas are the main reasons for cancer. Most of the cancer patients are curable and may lead a normal life if the disease could be diagnosed at early stage, they said.
