SOCIO DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF LUNG CANCER PATIENTS IN NORTH MALABAR REGION OF KERALA, SOUTH INDIA

Background: Lung cancer is the most common malignant neoplasm worldwide, accounting for greater mortality than due to any other cancer. It accounts for about 13% of all new cancer cases and 19% of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In India, lung cancer comprises 6.9% of all new cases of cancer and 9.3% of all cancer-related mortality in both sexes. This study aimed to find out the socio-demographic characteristics of lung cancer patients in the North Malabar region of Kerala. Methods: This is a prospective observational analysis of 238 lung cancer patients in the North Malabar region of Kerala during the period of 2017 and 2018. Results: A total of 238 lung cancer patients were included in this study, among which 195 were males (82.0%), and 43 (18.0%) were females. The male-female ratio was found to be 4.5:1. In the case of male subjects, most of the patients present in the age group of 60-69 (40%) followed by ≥ 70 (36.9%), and only 4.1% of subjects represents below 40 age group. In the case of female patients, 33.6% of patients presented in the 60-69 age group and followed by 50-59 and 40-49 age group. Of the 238 patients, the majority of patients were manual laborers/farmers (56.7%). The percentage of government/office employees involved in this study was 11.8%. In the study population, 44 patients (18.5%) had a history of chewing habits, and 99% of these patients using tobacco for chewing. Of the 238 patients, 166 patients (69.7%) had a history of smoking in their lifetime, and 72 patients (30.2%) were non-smokers. Conclusion: Lung cancer incidence rate is highly increased in the South Indian state, Kerala. The majority of male patients were smokers, and female patients had a history of passive smoking.