Medical experts alarm Indians; Say Chewing gutka, tobacco contribute to 90�ncer cases

Yamunanagar, July 12, 2019: Believe it or not but it is a hard fact that number of cancer patients are on in India. According to medical experts, India has leapt towards dubious distinction of being the oral cancer capital of world with the country contributing to 57 percent global cases of head and neck cancers. The number of oral cancer cases is rising on alarming situation and this has been taking place only because of poor lifestyle of Indians. The use of tobacco is stated to be the main cause for the present situation. Therefore, every Indian has to be serious on the issue.

Addressing the media persons, Dr Rajan Sahu, Senior Consultant Surgical Oncology, Paras Multispeciality Hospitals, Panchkula said that the situation was quiet alarming especially in the scenario when people did not prefer health tests and annual check-ups as basic requirements. He was speaking to media persons on World No Tobacco Day.

Further, Dr Sahu revealed that India has dubious distinction of being oral cancer capital of world because of rampant habit of tobacco chewing. He further made revelations on the issue and said that of 25 lakh people suffer of cancer every year in the country. Of them, 8 lakh cancer patients succumbed to the disease. Out of these deaths due to cancer, three lakh patients die due to reason of tabacco chewing in the country. He said even the Union Health Ministry's own statistics showed that more than 65 percent of cancer patients in India could be attributed to tobacco use.

Dr Rajan Sahu said that India continues to report highest prevalence of oral cancers globally with around 1.2 Lac new cases of such cancers reported every year.

Chewing tobacco and gutkha contribute to 90 per cent of oral cancer cases in India. He also shared that one third of the cancers can be prevented by lifestyle modification. In India, tobacco alone is responsible for 1.5 lakh cancers, 4.2 million heart diseases and 3.7 million lung diseases every year.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Parneet Singh added that number of new cases of cancer is expected to rise by about 70 percent over the next two decades.

Dr.Brig Rajeshwar Singh, Director Medical, Dr Parneet Singh Consultant Radiation Oncology, Dr Jagandeep Singh, Associate Consultant Ortho Oncology and Dr Anupam Gauba, Consultant Nuclear Medicine from Paras Hospitals Panchkula were also present.