TUHIN SHUBHRA ADHIKARY

Nearly half the patients in a rural upazila are suffering from tobacco-related cancer, indicating tobacco use is a major factor driving the country’s growing cancer burden.

As much as 46 percent of the cancer patients in an upazila of Kishoreganj suffer from tobacco-related cancers, with cancers of the lip and oral cavity, larynx, stomach and lung being the most common, found a study by Bangladesh Medical University (BMU).

Around 73 percent of the male cancer patients have a history of smoking, while about 60 per cent of female patients have a history of using smokeless tobacco, according to the population-based cancer registry covering 2.32 lakh residents of Hossainpur upazila.

While there is no comprehensive government data on the country’s overall cancer situation, the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) cancer report, published in 2024, shows these cancers topping the list, supporting the BMU findings on tobacco’s harmful impact on public health.

The findings come at a time when the country’s projected tobacco consumption prevalence among people aged 15 and above stood at 31.4 percent last year, higher than both the global and South-East Asia regional averages, according to the WHO.

Although the interim government has approved a stringent anti-tobacco law, its effective implementation remains a major challenge given the large number of tobacco users in the country.

An estimated 3.71 crore people aged 15 years or above consumed various tobacco products last year in Bangladesh, while 1.97 crore people smoked, according

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