Association of tobacco use, betel consumption and gastric cancer in Mizoram

Abstract

Cancer is a disease that affects the livelihood of humankind for ages. Dietary habit and lifestyle have been attributed to the development of many forms of cancer including gastric cancer. The state of Mizoram located in the northeastern India has been recorded to be a cancer prone area. Most Mizo people indulge in the use of smoke and smokeless tobacco and betel chewing. A study in this high cancer incidence zone is necessary to determine the actual cause of the disease. In this study, we evaluate the influence of tobacco use and betel consumption on gastric cancer. We con-clude that individuals with a family history of cancer who consumed betel, smoke and smokeless tobacco have a higher risk of gastric cancer. We also found an association between increased risk of gastric cancer and consumption of betel or sahdah alone and betel with sahdah.