India has seen a 15.7 per cent increase in cancer cases!
The number of cancers cases in India is rising dangerously. 11,57, 294 cancer cases have been reported in the country this year as compared to 10 lakh in 2012, according to Global Cancer Observatory (Globocan), September 2018.
The Globocan 2018 data is published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and it reports cancer incidence and mortality across 185 countries and includes 36 types of cancers.
The number of people who died due to cancer in India has gone up by 12.1 per cent in the last six years. While 7 lakh people died due to cancer in 2012, 7,84,821 cancer deaths were reported in 2018. The incidence of lip, oral cavity, and breast cancer has gone up drastically.
However, there is a 21.2 per cent fall in cervical cancer cases. Their number has come down to 96,922 in 2018 from 1.23 lakh in 2012.
Some 5-20 percent cancers, doctors say, can be attributed to the defected genes–some of these are inherited, and some mutations occur during the fetus formation. The rest of the cancers are a result of acquired mutations, which means the damage to genes in a particular cell occurs during a person’s life.
“Each and every cell of the body has a life. It dies after a specific period. All of us are born with cancer-causing and cancer-protective genes. When the cancer-causing genes get activated and overpower the protective ones, these genes alter the programmed cell death. And that’s when a tumour is formed,” explains Dr Siddharth Sahni, a leading onco-surgeon at Indraprastha Apollo hospital, Delhi.
Common factors that cause mutations in the cells are obesity, smoking, chemical exposure, radiations, etc. “In the last 10 years that I have been practicing as an oncologist, I observe that most of my patients were obese. Most either smoke or drink. And most eat food which is high-carbohydrate and low-protein,” says Sahni.
The cure
Genetic testing has enabled doctors to design special treatments in specific cases or mutations. For example, in case of EGFR mutations in breast or lung cancer, oral targeted therapy is very effective.
But doctors feel that to be able to control the burgeoning cancer cases in a developing country like India, it is important to work towards prevention and detecting cancer early. “There is a lot one can do. Obesity is an important factor and people can control it by following a healthy lifestyle. People can easily choose fresh food over the packaged. Quitting smoking and tobacco, limiting alcohol and refined sugar will help a lot in preventing cancer,” says Dr Vikas Goswami, senior consultant, medical oncology, Max Hospital, Vaishali, Ghaziabad.