Cancer burden in India has more than doubled over the last 26 years. The highest increase among all therapy areas, with breast cancer being the most common among Indian women, according to a recent report.
As per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) data, India had 14 lakh cancer patients in 2016 and this number is expected to increase.
The government has laid down four priority cancers — breast cancer, cervical cancer, oral cancer, and lung cancer which together constitute 41 per cent of cancer burden, the report mentioned.
Oral Cancer is among the top three cancers in India, number one among all cancers in men and number three among female cancers.
“Breast cancer is currently the most common cancer among Indian women, both in terms of incidence as well as mortality, with proportional prevalence in younger age-groups being higher than the global average.”
“The age standardised rate is approximately 25.8 per one lakh women and is expected to rise to 35 per one lakh women in 2026,” the report stated.
Nearly 60 per cent patients with breast cancers are diagnosed in advanced stages. Breast cancer burden is not only limited to disease burden and mortality but also leads to an economic loss for the nation.
India lost nearly 6.7 billion USD in 2012 due to cancer, amounting to 0.36 per cent of the total GDP.
Fact sheet
1. There are more than 100 types of cancers; almost any part of the body can be affected.
2. The five most frequent cancers (ranking defined by the total number of cases) in India between men and women are breast, cervical, oral cavity, lung, and colorectal. These top five account for 47.2 per cent of all cancers
3. Cancer is the second most common cause of death in India (after cardiovascular disease).
4. Use of tobacco products (eg smoking cigarettes) is the single most preventable cause of death worldwide. As many as 2,500 persons die every day due to tobacco-related diseases in India.
Tobacco (smoked and smokeless) use accounted for 3,17,928 deaths (approx) in men and women in 2018.
5. More women in India die from cervical cancer than in any other country. Rural women are at higher risk of developing cervical cancer as compared to their urban counterparts.
6. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in India and accounts for about a quarter of all cancers in women in Indian cities.
7. The average age for breast cancer in India is almost a decade lower than that in the west.
8. Cancers of major public health relevance such as breast, oral, cervical, gastric, lung, and colorectal cancer can be cured if detected early and treated adequately. One woman dies of cervical cancer every 8 minutes in India
Busting myths that revolve around cancer
1. Cancer is contagious – No, cancer is not contagious.
However, some cancers are caused by viruses and bacteria, for example, Human Papillomavirus (cervical cancer), Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C (liver cancer), Epstein Barr virus (lymphomas, nasopharyngeal cancers and stomach cancer) or Helicobacter pylori bacteria (stomach cancer).
2. If there’s no family history of cancer, you will also not suffer from it – If no one in your family has ever suffered from cancer it does not guarantee that you will not get cancer.
Only five-10 per cent of the cancer cases are hereditary. The rest are caused by genetic changes that occur throughout a person’s lifetime by chance, natural results of ageing, and exposure to environmental factors, such as tobacco, smoke, and radiation.
3. Herbal products can cure cancer – Although some studies suggest that alternative or complementary therapies, including some herbs, may help patients cope with the side effects of cancer treatment, no herbal products have been scientifically proven to be effective in the treatment of cancer.
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