Oral cancer hits traders most

Hyderabad
Nov 26: Oral cancer victims in the city are mostly members of the business community. What begins as a pastime, chewing “gutkha” or “paan masala” soon becomes an addiction.
Children as young as eight to ten years of age see their fathers chewing tobacco in this form and believe it to be a harmless habit. By the time they realise the after-effects, they are middle aged.
“It all begins with imitation and curiosity. Children see their fathers chewing tobacco almost all the time which in turn initiates them to take it up. In the later stages they become victims of oral cancer,” says Dr Vijay Anand P. Reddy, consultant oncologist and radiation therapist at one of the leading corporate hospitals.
“Tobacco chewing is nothing but a substitute for food for many businessmen. Since they have erratic work schedules, they find it hard to make time for meals. Tobacco kills their hunger which in a way solves their problem and enables them to work for longer time,” said Dr Ashwin M Shah, chief oncologist at a corporate hospital.
Oncologists said there are statistics to prove the percentage of businessmen who chew tobacco. Most of them go around with lots of liquid cash which they spend to buy tobacco which is available at most places, they say.