Female cancer patient patterns change from 1990 to 1994 in Manipal and Western India: Cervical declines and breast increases

Incidence of cervical cancer has declined from 1965 in Bombay, and from 1984 in Kerala; whereas the incidence of breast cancer has increased in Bombay women from 1978. As female literacy, health awareness, and socioeconomic status improve, women marry and bear fewer children later, reducing cervical cancer, but increasing risk of breast cancer. Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka resembles Kerala in development and health indices for females. Manipal patients are mostly from north Kerala, DK, coastal Karnataka, and Goa. Trends of > 10,000 patients from 1990-94 in the Manipal Hospital Cancer Registry show that numbers of all-new (p < 10^-5) and new-plus-follow-up (p = 10^-4) cervical cancer patients declined since 1992. Cancer of breast, ovary and corpus uteri increased from 1990 to 1994. Cancer of cervix, breast and ovary are leading types each year. Female cancer patient patterns in Manipal Kasturba Hospital from 1990 to 1994 show that the incidence of breast cancer has increased and that of cervical declined as in Bombay, Trivandrum, and elsewhere. The implications are discussed.