New Delhi, Dec 24 || More than six out of 10 people in India are suffering from mouth (buccal mucosa) cancer due to frequent consumption of alcohol, with locally brewed drinks associated with the greatest risk, along with chewing of smokeless tobacco products such as gutkha, khaini, paan, according to a large study published on Wednesday.
The study, authored by a team of researchers from the Center for Cancer Epidemiology, and Homi Bhabha National Institute, in Maharashtra, showed that as little as under 2 g a day of beer was associated with a heightened risk of buccal mucosa cancer, while 9 g a day of alcohol -- equivalent to around one standard drink -- was associated with an approximately 50 per cent increased risk of mouth cancer.
When combined with chewing tobacco, it likely accounted for 62 per cent of all such cases in the country.
The findings, detailed in the open-access journal BMJ Global Health, suggest that more than one in 10 cases (nearly 11.5 per cent) of all buccal mucosa cancers in India are attributable to alcohol, rising to 14 per cent in some of the states with a high prevalence of the disease, such as Meghalaya, Assam, and Madhya Pradesh.