Data from the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) national cancer registry suggests that the lone cause of cancer in every second male patient in Uttar Pradesh, is tobacco.
Data shows that more than 53 per cent of all cancers caused in men were linked to tobacco.
The corresponding figure for women is about 15 per cent, while the average for the state is 37.5 per cent.
The ICMR report indicated that most of these cancers belong to oral cavity, lung and other upper aero digestive section categories.
A good majority of patients reach medical centres in advanced stages where options for curative therapies get limited.
Experts at the department of Radiotherapy and Medical Oncology, SGPGIMS emphasised on the need for ‘self-restraint to keep disease away’.
“Embracing self-restraint and keeping oneself away from tobacco is the easiest and most effective preventive strategy one can adopt,” said Punita Lal, senior faculty.
In UP, an estimated 2.1 lakh cases of cancer appear every year, which is the highest among Indian states.
In general, the commonest cancer among men was in the mouth (20.4 per cent) while breast cancer (23.9 per cent) was the commonest site among women.
The mortality rate of cancer patients (across all categories) in UP is about 55 per cent.
Shaleen Kumar, another cancer expert, said that the theme for 2024 was ‘close the care gap’, while director Prof RK Dhiman explained that gap in the care for cancer patients is a global concern that needs urgent redressal.
“Each cancer patient has the right to good holistic care irrespective of their social strata. To ensure this goal for every patient, doctors, nurses, and health care providers will have to recognise, acknowledge, and address the unique needs of each patient,” Kumar said.
