New Delhi: Late diagnosis and treatment of cancer result in 1.3 million deaths in South East Asian Region, including India, annually, WHO today said as it asked
the countries to enhance awareness and curtail tobacco and alcohol use for effective treatment.
On the eve of World Cancer Day, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Poonam Khetrapal Singh today said 67 per cent of cancer patients die before they are 70. Singh said Cancer is diagnosed in more than 14 million people worldwide each year, of whom nearly 8.8 million die.
Around two-thirds of these deaths are in low- and middle-income countries, where cancer detection is often inadequate and diagnosis and treatment late, she said. "This is especially so in the WHO South-East Asia Region, where cancer kills around 1.3 million people every year," she said.
"Across the region, late diagnosis and treatment is resulting in 67% of cancer patients dying before they are 70, equating to just under 900 000 premature deaths annually," she said. She said late diagnosis and treatment is also inflating
associated costs and impacting workforce productivity and with cancer rates expected to rise in coming years, the need to take action is clear.
She said the Region's member countries can make few key interventions that will help in early diagnosis and efficient treatment. "First, health authorities can enhance public awareness of different cancer symptoms and encourage people to seek care if symptoms arise.
"An emphasis on curtailing tobacco and alcohol use, exercising regularly and consuming a healthy diet should feature heavily. Second, health services especially at the primary level should be strengthened and equipped to diagnose cancer in an accurate and timely manner," she said. She maintained that health care workers should be trained to detect cancer's key signs and symptoms, especially for oral and breast cancer, which are particularly burdensome in the region.
