BHOPAL: Senior oncologist Dr Deepak M Parikh said in India tobacco industry lobby was very powerful. They had now started selling tobacco in pouches costing Rs 2 or 3 only. Reach of these pouches among children of very young age is very harmful to their health. Head of department of oncology in Asian Cancer Institute, Mumbai, Dr Parikh was speaking in a cancer awareness session at Sewa Sadan Eye Hospital, Sant Hirdaram Nagar here on Sunday.
He said every year over 11 lakh new cancer patients were added in the country, while the number of qualified oncologists was limited to 5,000.
Dr Parikh said timely diagnosis and proper treatment could save the life of over 80 per cent cancer patients. He said environment pollution was also now becoming a major cause of spreading lung cancer symptoms in society.
Dr Parikh further said over 90 per cent people could keep themselves away from cancer by stopping the use of tobacco and alcohol. He said main causes of cancer included hepatitis B and C and non-inclusion of fruits and green vegetables in diet. He said earlier this dreaded disease was prevailing only in developed countries, but at present this was spreading in developing countries also.
Dr Parikh said the symptoms of oral cancer were being observed in young people, which was very alarming for society as well as the government. Radiotherapy was now not so painful as it was earlier, he said adding if chemotherapy and alternative medicines were used commonly on cancer patients, this could be more beneficial for them. He said the main challenges of cancer were delayed diagnosis and treatment, incomplete efforts, insufficient medical facilities and lack of resources.
