❖ India has the largest number of oral cancer cases caused by smokeless tobacco (chewed, sucked on or sniffed) and areca nut (also called betel nut) use in South Asia.

❖ It was hosting up 83,400 of the 120,200 cases globally in 2022.

❖ Smokeless tobacco accounts for over 30 per cent of all oral cancer cases globally.

❖ The contributing regions of South-Central Asia (a total of 105,500 cases) are, with 83,400 - India, 9,700 - Bangladesh, 8,900 - Pakistan and in Sri Lanka 1,300).

❖ It is followed by South-East Asia (a total of 3,900 cases, with 1,600 in Myanmar, 990 in Indonesia, and 785 in Thailand).

❖ The East Asia hosts a total of 3,300 cases, with 3,200 in China.