The number of cancer patients is increasing rapidly all over the world. Cancer is fatal not only for health, but also for the economy of any country or society. This has not only resulted in the loss of valuable wealth, but is also a waste of precious human resources. However, it is another matter that cancer has created a large sector in the health industry. Where many people are employed in technology and services, from cancer diagnosis to cancer treatment. After all, what is the reason that despite so much awareness, no country has been able to control the increasing number of cancer cases? Let us understand what are the cases of cancer in India and the factors responsible for it.

To find out, we talked to dr. Vedant Kabrom. Dr. Vedantais Chief Director, Surgical Oncology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram.

To understand the danger of cancer, it is necessary to look at the report of the National Cancer Registry Program. This report was published in 2020. According to this report, by 2020, 679,421 men in India were suffering from cancer. Based on the increasing number of cases, it is estimated that by 2025 this number could increase to 763,575. At the same time, the number of women suffering from cancer was 712,758 in 2020. It is estimated that it will reach 806,218 by 2025.

What factor is responsible for the sudden rise in cancer cases in India?

Assessing the overall scenario, Dr. Vedanta cited reasons for this, which include –

1. An increase in life expectancy, which shows that cancers occur with age.
2. Growing awareness of cancer and cancer screening.
3. Lifestyle habits such as tobacco, alcohol, junk food, high fat intake and low fiber intake.
4. Excessive stress, lack of exercise (sitting all day) are some of the reasons, which are the reason for many cases of cancer. These reasons are so common that almost every second person suffers from any two of these reasons. That is, they can be stopped at will.

Cancer statistics are different for men and women

Cancer in women:

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in women, accounting for more than a quarter of all cancer cases in women. However, rural women still have the highest incidence of cervical cancer.

Dr. Vedant says, “One of the main reasons for the increase in breast cancer cases is the influence of Western civilization on the way of life. More than half of the total number of women diagnosed with breast cancer in urban India (cities like Gurugram) are under the age of 50 and this statistic is very worrying as these are the most productive years of a person’s life.”

Cancer in men:

Oral, lung, stomach and colon cancers are the most commonly diagnosed types of cancer among Indian men. They are associated with tobacco use (mouth and lungs) and changes in dietary habits (stomach and colon). However, a trend we have encountered in recent years is that there are lung cancer patients who have never smoked. It is speculated that increasing air pollution is the reason for the increase in cases of this cancer in many Indian cities.

life expectancy of cancer patients

The survival rate of cancer patients in India and western countries is low. Elaborating on the reasons, dr. Vedant says, “In general, we see that for many types of cancer, our patients live 10-15 years less than cancer patients in Western countries. This could be due to various lifestyle factors mentioned above, pollution and widespread use of pesticides and food adulteration.

Due to the aforementioned factors, the age of the general public and cancer patients is decreasing. At the same time, people are not able to get effective cancer treatment because of not getting the right treatment, and sometimes the treatment is more expensive than they can afford. Which is why even those people who could have been saved with the right treatment die.

It has a negative impact not only on cancer patients, but also on their families, friends and caregivers. They begin to fall victim to various types of stress and depression. But it is not that cancer can be avoided only by expensive treatment or foreign treatment.

Dr. Vedanta also talks about those important precautions, by adopting which cancer can be avoided in time.

These important precautions can be helpful in preventing cancer

1. Keeping body and mind healthy.
2. Stay away from habits that consume tobacco in any form (chewing/smoking) and alcohol etc.
3. Eat healthy, eat fresh food made from locally available seasonal food and avoid fast food
4. Exercise, meditate and do yoga regularly to relieve stress

Also read this – International Children’s Cancer Day 2023: Junk food and adulterated food can also cause cancer in children.