IJCM_150A: A profile of Head and Neck Cancer patients attending a tertiary cancer care centre in Southern Karnataka

Background: Overall, 57.5% of head and neck cancers (HNC) globally are from Asia. In India, HNC accounted for 30% of all cancers in males and 11 to 16% in females, of all sites of cancer. HNC in the low- and middle-income countries differ from those in the Western part of the globe in terms of age, site of disease, etiology, and molecular biology. Poverty, illiteracy, advanced stage at presentation, lack of access to affordable treatment facilities pose a major challenge in management of these cancers. Objective: To identify the socio-demographic and epidemiological factors influencing the cause of Head and neck cancer Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted between February 2023 till November 2023, in Manipal Comprehensive Cancer Care Centre, Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. All the newly diagnosed Head and Neck cancer (HNC) patients aged above 18 years, from December 2022 were included in the study. The participants were interviewed with the structured questionnaire. Details of the socio-demographic characteristics, various risk factors of HNC, presenting symptoms, co-morbid conditions, anthropometric details, dietary habits, level of physical activity when they were healthy, tobacco, alcohol and betel quid use were taken. Institutional Ethics Committee Approval and informed consent from the participants were taken before the initiation of the study Results: The study found that 84% of the head and neck cancer patients were males. 78% of the cases had education only up to or less than 10th std. The middle class and lower class (according to BG prasad scale) constituted 62% of the cases. 70% reported the site of cancer as oral cavity. Conclusion: The study found that consumption of tobacco, alcohol andNon-vegetarian diet are more commonly seen in HNC cases. Also, males, age group of 51-70 years, belonging to middle-class SES, are more affected.