New Delhi: "People in north-eastern states are more prone to cancers affecting stomach, gall bladder and lungs compared to others living elsewhere in the country," a recent research has said.

"The rates and patterns of cancer are strikingly different in the north-eastern states. For the first time, we came to know that people there are more prone to stomach, gall bladder and lung cancer than elsewhere in the country," said Kishor Chowdhary, Deputy Director General of Indian Council of Medical Reserach (ICMR).

These findings have come out for the first time after the Poulation Based Cancer Registries under North Eastern Regional Cancer Registry data was published.

"For the first time, we have an authentic data available on cancer cases in four Northeastern states," he said. This is the first report for the years 2003 and 2004.

There is a network of cancer registries in the country since 1981, but the North East Regional Cancer Registry started accessing data from January 1, 2003 only.

"We had an idea that stomach and lung cancers were the most reported ones in these states, but we were suprised when we found that gall bladder equally affects people in these states. We were able to find this out after the registry findings came out," Chowdhary told PTI.

The findings are from four states Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Sikkim.

"It showed that there is a need to have separate focus on cancer research and control in these states," he said.