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The study was conducted on a total of 2,01,668 participants from 46,631 households in Hossainpur upazila of Kishoreganj, with 48.4 percent being male and 51.6 percent female, since July 2023.

The researchers conducted face-to-face interviews at every household using web-based National Cancer Registry software.

The study found a total 214 cancer patients among the participants. Of them, 92.5 percent were aged 18-75 years, while 2.4 percent were aged below 18 years and 5.1 percent were over 75 years old.

The five most common cancers were breast (16.8 percent), lip and oral cavity (8.4 percent), stomach (7 percent), larynx (7 percent), and cervix (5.1 percent).

The researchers found that 46 percent of all cancer cases were linked to tobacco use, with 75.8 percent of male cancer patients being smokers. Also, 40.5 percent males and 60.6 percent females consumed chewing tobacco. According to the study, co-morbidities among cancer patients included hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and stroke.

The study also found that 60 percent of cancer patients received a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, while 7.4 percent did not receive any treatment after diagnosis.

A follow-up was conducted on 58,539 participants from 13,411 households between July 1, 2024 and January 14, 2025. During this time, 52.9 new cancer patients were added per 100,000 population.

BSMMU Vice Chancellor Prof Md Shahinul Alam chaired the event while Prof Md Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser for health, spoke among others.