Quetta: A new study has found that the majority of cases of cancer in parts of Balochistan may be linked to smoking on inhaling banned narcotics. The joint study by Aga Khan Hospital and Arya Institute of Medical Sciences, Quetta, examined over 16000 biopsy samples. Cancer was confirmed in 5145 .

According to the study, men accounted for 52 percent of positive diagnoses while women made up 48 percent.

Among adult men, 425 cases of oesophageal cancer were reported, making up 17.4 percent of all cancer cases among adult men. Stomach cancer ranked second, with 351 cases, followed by 225 cases of cancers of the colon, rectum and anus. The study also recorded 223 cases of bladder cancer.

The study found that oesophageal cancer among men in Balochistan is four times more common than mouth cancer, which differs from other parts of Pakistan in regional and national statistics, where mouth cancer is reported to be more common among men.

Researchers listed environmental factors and opium use among possible factors, as well as the use of preserved, salty and dried foods and low consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables as possible risk factors.

They stressed that these factors had not been established as definitive causes of cancer.