A million get cancer every year

On the eve of World Cancer Day 2012, cancer experts insisted on change in lifestyle, especially intake of tobacco, to fight the disease which is spreading fast in the country.

Indian Council of Medical Research’ Cancer Registry Data shows that 9,79,787 new cases were registered for cancer in India in 2010. The data also projected that going by the current rate 11,48,758 patients will be added in 2020. 

This is just an indicative data. It covers only registered cases. Many more people are suffering from the fatal disease,” said Dr N K Pandey, Asian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Faridabad.

Speaking to reporters, he said that India has nearly 5,50,000 deaths due to cancer and over 50 per cent of the patients are below 30 years of age.

Making a case for “prevention is better than cure” in cancer, Pandey said cancer is not regarded as a priority in health care. The cure is expensive which cannot be borne by most of the people in the country. Also, resources for treatment are limited to large cities.
“We can prevent cancer by preventing the risk factors of which tobacco abuse is the major cause. We have to improve eating habits, by incresing intake of vegetables and fruit in the diet. Lack of exercise and sedentary life style leads to obesity which may be potentially harmful,” said Dr Pandey.

According to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, 7,00,000 to one million Indians die every year due to consumption of tobacco. India has the highest number of oral cancer cases in the world out of which 90 per cent are due to tobacco consumption, according to the World Health Organisation Survey Report.

Emphasising on harms caused by tobacco consumption and other environmental hazards, Dr Manav Manchanda, consultant, AIMS said, “Lung cancer cases are on the rise due to the person inhaling second-hand smoke, industrial carcinogens like asbestos, air and vehicular pollution. Though it is a well established fact that tobacco use has been recognised as one of the biggest public health hazard, we need to curb other factors too such as rising levels of environmental pollution and industrial pollution and use of asbestos.”

The doctors stressed on the need to spread awareness about the disease and its early symptoms.

“Awareness about symptoms of cancer is still very low. Nearly 70-80 per cent cancer cases are treated in third or fourth stage,” said Dr Pandey.