Mouth cancers for men and gall bladder cancer for women are the most common, but they can be easily prevented
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The National Health Profile of the Government of India has predicted a 20 per cent increase in cancer in the next five years. Mouth cancer ranks the highest in men with a 19 per cent increase by 2020 predicted while for women, it is gall bladder cancer with a 23 per cent increase. Despite the current ban on gutkha in some states, there are 5 lakh cases of mouth cancer, which will rise to above 6 lakh by 2020.
Graphic pictorial warnings mandatory
The cancer registries in the country show that 15 per cent of all cancers in men are mouth cancers. There are a total of 1,00,000 new oral cancer cases diagnosed in men annually.
The Mumbai cancer registry records the highest, an approximate of 19 per cent of all cancers, indicating Maharashtra to be the highest in the incidence of mouth cancers in the country.
Dr Umanath Nayak, consultant head and neck oncologist and robotic surgeon at Apollo Cancer Hospitals said, “The only way to improve awareness is by making graphic pictorial warnings mandatory for all tobacco products. The present warnings (depicting a diseased lung and a scorpion) have proved ineffective as deterrents. What is required is a graphic picture of oral cancer, like those being used by some countries such as Singapore and the European Union on their cigarette packs, which has resulted in a drastic reduction in the habit of smoking.
“In India, it is more appropriate to have them on gutkha packets as these are the products that are responsible for the alarming incidence of oral cancer more than smoking.”
Meanwhile 80 per cent of patients come to hospitals only in the third and fourth stages of cancer, as has been documented in the national cancer registry. Dr Nayak added,
“Chennai registry records the highest percentage with 95 per cent of them reporting to hospitals only in an advanced stage. This shows a strong need to create awareness and the need to report to hospitals early. Similarly, gutkha ban has proved to be effective only among the literate class but not in the illiterate sections who continue to consume it.”
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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