Cancer is responsible for 11.9 percent of all deaths in Bangladesh annually, according to a new study by the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.

Also, 52.9 new cases are reported per 100,000 people every year, said the population-based cancer registry by BSMMU's Department of Public Health and Informatics (DPHI).

Among the 38 different cancers prevalent in the country, lung cancer (11.4 percent) causes the most deaths, followed by laryngreal cancer (8.5 percent), and stomach cancer (5.7 percent), the study also revealed.

The cancer prevalence in the country at present is 106 cases per 100,000 population -- with 118 per 100,000 among males and 96 per 100,000 among females, according to the study.

The findings were shared at a programme titled "Cancer Burden in Bangladesh: Evidence from a Population-based Cancer Registry", organised by BSMMU at its Super Specialised Hospital in Dhaka yesterday.

Laryngeal cancer was found to be the most prevalent (13 percent) among males, followed by stomach cancer (10.4 percent), lungs (8.7 percent), lip and oral cavity (7 percent) and esophagus cancer (6.1 percent), said Md Khalequzzaman, associate professor of DPHI at BSMMU and principal investigator of the study, while presenting the findings.

In females, breast cancer (36.4 percent) was the most common cancer, followed by cervical cancer (11.1 percent), lip and oral cavity (10.1 percent), thyroid (7.1 percent) and ovaries (5.1 percent), he added.

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.