In the three years from January 2018 to December 2020, 83,795 patients received outpatient services at the National Cancer Research Institute and Hospital, and 35,733 of them or 42.6% were later diagnosed with cancer.
The data was presented from a cancer registry report that diagnosed about 36,000 cancer patients who had come to receive treatment at the NICRH.
NICRH Associate Prof (Epidemiology Department) Dr Md Zahirul Islam presented the information at the Seventh Cancer Registry Report publishing ceremony held at the institute's auditorium in the capital on Wednesday morning.
According to the report, 55% of the cancer patients were male and 45% were female. The most common cancer in both men and women was lung cancer followed by breast, cervical, bowel, stomach, liver, lymph node, rectal, oral cavity and gallbladder cancer. The combined percentage of lung cancer among men and women was 17.4%.
The report said men were most affected by lung cancer and women were most affected by breast cancer. Among the men, 26.6% were affected by lung cancer and among the women, 29.3% of patients were affected by breast cancer.
District-wise statistics said most patients were from Dhaka, Chittagong, Barisal and Mymensingh.
Epidemiology Department head Dr Md Habibullah Talukder said: “We are releasing the online version today. The full report will be published very soon.”
“All including private institutions should be included in the National Cancer Registry,” he added.