Indore: About 13.2 lakh people would have been diagnosed with cancer in India in 2020 and the estimated total number of deaths likely to be over 8.51 lakhs, the GLOBOCAN survey estimates.
National Chairman of Tobacco Control Committee-Indian Medical Association and secretary of Madhya Pradesh Cancer Society Dr Dilip Acharya on Wednesday said, “The reason of increasing cancer prevalence is due to ‘Westernization’ in the lifestyle. People are leaving Indian living trend which is close to science and nature but opting for less active living standards.”
The report released by GLOBOCAN a few days ago suggests that breast cancer has the highest incidence and reason of death amongst all cancers in men and women combined. Its incidence in both sexes together is 13.5 percent (178361pts) amongst all cancers as compared to lip and oral cavity 10.3 per cent (135929), followed by cervix uterus (9.4percent) and lung (5.5percent).
Dr Acharya said, “The data of prevalence of cancer in females suggests that 26.3 percent are due to breast cancer, 18.3 percent cervix uterus, 6.7 percent ovary and lip oral cavity 4.6 percent. Till a few years ago, cervix cancer had the highest incidence amongst Indian females but since breast cancer came in top after 2012.”
He also warned that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimated that one-in-five men and one-in-six women worldwide will develop cancer over the course of their lifetime, and that one in eight men and one in eleven women will die from their disease.
Discussing the statistics of cancer in men in India, the highest number is of lip and oral cavity 16.3 per cent , followed by Lung Cancer (8percent) and stomach cancer (6.8 percent) .
The oncologist also stressed upon the need for more efforts in tobacco control, which is the leading, most preventable cause of oral cancers along with 13 other types of cancers too. He said that although smoking has gone down by 6 percent in India, smokeless tobacco/chewing tobacco is still very high.
