Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally. Every year, millions of people are diagnosed with new cases of cancer and die. Studies have predicted that the figures will increase rapidly by the year 2050. According to Cancer Data, an estimated 20 million (two crore) new cases of cancer will be diagnosed worldwide in the year 2022, and more than 9.7 million (97 lakh) people will die. Not only this, researchers estimate that by the year 2050, the number of cancer patients will reach 35 million (3.5 crore) every year. Statistics of the last decade show that even in India, the cases of this serious and fatal disease are increasing rapidly year after year.
Even though cancer is no longer an incurable disease due to innovations in technology and medicine, cancer treatment remains difficult to reach for common people due to medical costs.
The incidence of cancer in India is increasing faster than global rates. In the report of a recent study regarding this, the researchers said, the speed at which cancer cases are increasing in the country has now made it the new 'cancer capital' of the world.
India "Cancer Capital of the World"
Recently released data regarding Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) shows that the level at which cancer cases are increasing in the country is worrying. India has become the "Cancer Capital of the World", surpassing global rates of cancer cases.
According to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal, India recorded nearly 12 lakh new cancer cases and 9.3 lakh deaths in 2020, making it the second-highest cancer burden in Asia that year. Has gone. Researchers say that by the end of this decade, cancer cases in the country are expected to increase by 12 percent, due to which the burden of cancer may increase further.
More cancer cases in India than in China and Japan
Researchers said India, along with China and Japan, is one of the three leading countries in Asia in terms of the number of new cancer cases and deaths.
In India, breast and cervical cancer are the most common cases among women, while men are most at risk of lung, mouth, and prostate cancer. However, despite the lower average age for cancer diagnosis in India compared to other countries, cancer detection rates remain quite low, according to the release. In most patients, cancer is detected only in the last stages where the treatment of the disease becomes very difficult.
Risk of many other NCD diseases along with cancer
Researchers said, that apart from cancer, the risk of many other types of NCD diseases is being seen in India. The report also alerts people about a possible increase in problems like pre-diabetes, pre-hypertension, and mental health disorders occurring at an early age.
Emphasizing the importance of regular health checkups, the researchers said, that if efforts are made to reduce blood pressure (BP) and body mass index (BMI) levels, it will also reduce the risk of many other types of chronic health problems. can be reduced. This can also help in reducing the cases of cancer.
'TBL' cancer big risk
Regarding the increasing risk of cancer, researchers say, we examined the patterns of 29 cancers in 49 Asian countries between 1990 and 2019 using estimates from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries and Risk Factors 2019 Study (GBD 2019). It found that in Asia, cancers of the trachea, bronchus, and lung (TBL) are most prevalent. In women, cervical cancer is the second or one of the top five cancers in many Asian countries. At the same time, the risk of cases of prostate and lung cancer and deaths due to it remains highest among men.
(PC: ISTOCK)
