In view of the spiraling incidence of gall bladder cancer cases among the populace residing in the northern and northeastern parts of India and also along the Ganga river belt, the scientists based in USA and Tata Memorial Hospital conducted a joint study following which two common genetic mutations which increase the risk for the individuals to develop gall bladder cancer have been detected. The scientists of the Indian Council of Medical Research have already suggested the Uttarakhand government to set up registries in Haridwar and surrounding areas to ascertain the cause of the disease spreading its tentacles in this belt.
Earlier, the scientific fraternity had very limited information about genetic factors behind gall bladder cancer cases, but a recent study conducted by US National Cancer Institute and Centre For Cancer Epidemiology at Tata Memorial Hospital has made some path- breaking findings which would give further clues to clinicians and researchers to understand the disease better. The study has been published in monthly journal, lancet Oncology.
Speaking to The Pioneer about the occurrence of gall bladder cancer on the sidelines of a workshop, Dr Rajesh Dikshit of Tata Hospital said, “We found that the occurrence is twice more common in women than men and 46% of the cases were from the northern region of India while 33% from the northeast. Our hospital receives over 700 cases of gall bladder cancer every year.”
Dwelling on how the team has made the findings, Dixit said that genes are the transporters which carry lipid from liver to gall bladder. “If there is any disruption in this mechanism, the concentration of bile changes injures the internal membrane of gall bladder and causes cancer. More studies, however, need to be conducted on this and the state governments must initiate procedures for making registries in the areas surrounding the Ganga,” he said.
,The ICMR director Dr Saumya Swaminathan said while talking to The Pioneer, “There is need for much larger population-based studies. It is the first time that we have looked at genetic markers for increased risk of gall bladder cancer, something that has opened more research avenues for others.” Plans are afoot to carry forward the research with Banaras Hindu University to find if gall bladder cancer is caused by heavy metals found in the Ganga and the Brahmputra rivers, said the director of TMH Dr A K D’Cruz. “We are also looking at the other causes like consumption of tobacco and mustard oil by the people of this belt and whether some bacteria found in the two rivers are causing the havoc,” he said.