Cancer patterns in India are dominated by a high burden of tobacco-related head and neck cancers, particularly oral cancer, in men and of cervical cancer in women

UNITED NATIONS: India had an estimated 1.16 million new cancer cases in 2018, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), which said that one in 10 Indians will develop cancer during their lifetime and one in 15 will die of the disease.

Ahead of the World Cancer Day on Tuesday, WHO and its specialized International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have released two reports: one aimed at setting the global agenda on the disease; the other focused on research and prevention.

The World Cancer Report said that according to the estimated cancer burden in India in 2018, there are about 1.16 million new cancer cases, 784,800 cancer deaths, and 2.26 million 5-year prevalent cases in India’s population of 1.35 billion.

The report said that “one in 10 Indians will develop cancer during their lifetime, and one in 15 Indians will die of cancer.”

In India, the six most common cancer types were breast cancer (162,500 cases), oral cancer (120,000 cases), cervical cancer (97,000 cases), lung cancer (68,000 cases), stomach cancer (57,000 cases), and colorectal cancer (57,000).

Together, these account for 49 per cent of all new cancer cases.

Of the 570,000 new cancer cases in men, oral cancer (92,000), lung cancer (49,000), stomach cancer (39,000), colorectal cancer (37,000), and oesophageal cancer (34,000) account for 45 per cent of cases.

The report added that of the 587,000 new cancer cases in women, breast cancer (162,500), cervical cancer (97,000), ovarian cancer (36,000), oral cancer (28,000), and colorectal cancer (20,000) account for 60 per cent of cases.

“Cancer patterns in India are dominated by a high burden of tobacco-related head and neck cancers, particularly oral cancer, in men and of cervical cancer in women; both of these cancer types are associated with lower socioeconomic status,” the report said.

The burden of cancer types, such as breast cancer and colorectal cancer, associated with overweight and obesity, lower levels of physical activity, and sedentary lifestyles is increasing and these cancer types are associated with higher socioeconomic status.

“During the past two decades, India has had one of the world’s best performing and most stable economies, which has grown by more than 7 per cent annually in most years.

“This economic development has given rise to vast socioeconomic changes, with an increasing risk of noncommunicable diseases, including cancer, and significant disparities in access to cancer prevention and control services,” the report said.

WHO warned that global cancer rates could rise by 60 per cent over the next 20 years unless cancer care is ramped up in low and middle-income countries.

Less than 15 per cent of these nations offer comprehensive cancer treatment services through their public health systems, according to the UN agency.

“At least 7 million lives could be saved over the next decade, by identifying the most appropriate science for each country situation, by basing strong cancer responses on universal health coverage, and by mobilizing different stakeholders to work together,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

The report said that about 80 per cent of the world’s smokers live in low and middle-income countries.

In addition, 64 per cent of the world’s daily smokers live in only 10 countries and more than 50 per cent of the world’s male smokers live in three countries: China, India, and Indonesia.

There are currently 164 million users of smokeless tobacco, 69 million smokers, and 42 million smokers and chewers in India.

More than 90 per cent of patients with oral cancer have low or lower-middle socioeconomic status.

Tobacco-related cancers account for 34–69 per cent of all cancers in men, they constitute 10–27 per cent of all cancers in women in most regions in India.

The incidence of colorectal cancer is increasing in the most developed states in India and in urban populations.

“There is a clear increasing trend in the incidence rates of breast cancer across the country, with an annual percentage increase that ranges from 1.4 per cent to 2.8 per cent and is more pronounced in urban areas than in rural areas.

Incidence rates are also increasing for cancer types associated with overweight and obesity and lower levels of physical activity, such as colorectal cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer.

” The report noted that there is a clear decreasing trend in the incidence rates of cervical cancer in most regions in India (annual percentage change, -2.

0 per cent to -3.

5 per cent), with age-standardized incidence rates as low as 6 per 1,00,000 in women in Kerala.

India accounts for about one fifth of the global burden of cervical cancer, despite decreasing incidence rates in several regions of the country.

“Thus, elimination of cervical cancer in India will have a major impact on global elimination of the disease as a public health problem.

Cervical cancer disproportionately affects women with lower socioeconomic status, who are at a considerable disadvantage in the availability of and access to public health services for prevention and early detection, and therefore this is an equity issue.

IARC Director Elisabete Weiderpass observed that high-income countries have adopted prevention, early diagnosis and screening programmes, which together with better treatment, have contributed to an estimated 20 per cent reduction in the probability of premature mortality between 2000 and 2015, but low-income countries only saw a reduction of five per cent.

API-10 is equivalent to 10 confirmed cases per thousand population and Bastar is among the very few geographical locations endemic to malaria parasites—Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum.

RAJPUR: In a Red zone of Bastar in south Chhattisgarh, a different battle is being fought to tackle the vector-borne disease ‘Malaria’, which so far hasn’t received much attention. Bastar has an Annual Parasite Incidence (API) (malaria) of over 10 — rated among the highest in the country.

API-10 is equivalent to 10 confirmed cases per thousand population and Bastar is among the very few geographical locations endemic to malaria parasites—Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum.

Even today, 65 per cent of malaria cases are being reported from Bastar. Hence, the state has now meticulously embarked upon a plan to eliminate Malaria from Bastar through door-to-door ‘Mass Active Screening and Treatment’ process, which will continue till February 14 under the ‘Malaria-Free Bastar’ campaign.’ Interestingly around 88 per cent are women engaged in the campaign. 

As many as 1720 health survey teams are examining the blood of over 14 lakh people through Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT). The patients are given free medical treatment along with medicines and a follow-up. Those found in serious conditions are shifted to health centres. 

“Malaria remains a serious public health concern in Bastar. Besides the Maoist threat, the inhospitable terrain and lack of attention to health issues were hindrances to counter Malaria. We have now started an extensive campaign to combat malaria in the area,”  said Health minister T S Singhdeo.Every tribal hamlet, ashrams, schools, residential Pota cabins, jails and even camps of para-military forces are being scanned.

Salman Khan on Sunday took to Instagram and posted a picture in which he is seen posing with Shera.

MUMBAI: Superstar Salman Khan, who has inspired millions of people in the country to take up fitness with his muscular brawn, has urged fitness freaks not to use steroids, pointing out that such substances triggered off liver and kidney ailments besides causing other harmful effects to the body.

“Nowadays, there is a trend of taking steroids but it’s really a wrong trend. I feel no one should use these. In fact, a lot of people misuse steroids, which is really bad for their bodies because you can damage your liver and kidney. There are a lot of people who have died doing exercises in the gym because of heart failure. So, it is not the right thing to do at all.”

“I think protein shakes and supplements are good for your body but the kind of steroids people are consuming are very harmful. With those steroids, you can build your body but people can easily figure it’s a body built by steroids and not naturally. That kind of body cannot last long,” said Salman, while interacting with the media at the preview of Being Strong Fitness Equipment on Sunday in Mumbai.

Salman started a huge fitness revolution in India way back in 1998, after his shirtless avatar in the iconic song “O oh jaane jaana” in “Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya” became a rage. Since then, youngsters especially have started hitting the gym to have a similar hunky frame.

Talking about timing of workouts for being fit and healthy, Salman said: “Whenever you get the time, you should do your workout. I get free time after lunch break or after dinner, in the morning or in between the shots. Whenever I get time, I exercise one body part. Sometimes, I exercise the stomach, chest or legs, because I don’t have the time to spend an hour or two in the gym. Wherever I spot a small place, I start doing exercises. I think you need gym equipment to do your exercise but if it’s not there, you can go for traditional forms of exercise.”

Salman Khan will next be seen onscreen in the Prabhudheva-directed “Dabangg 3” along with Sonakshi Sinha, Saiee Manjrekar and Kichcha Sudeepa. The film is slated to release on 20th December, 2019.

A recent study found that fat accumulates in the airway walls within the lungs causing wheezing and asthma in overweight or obese people.

WASHINGTON DC: A recent study found that fat accumulates in the airway walls within the lungs causing wheezing and asthma in overweight or obese people.

Scientists already know that people who are overweight or obese are more likely to suffer from wheezing and asthma, but the reasons for this have not been completely explained.

The new study, published in the European Respiratory Journal, suggests that this fatty tissue alters the structure of people’s airways and it could be one reason behind the increased risk of asthma.

“Our research team studies the structure of the airways within our lungs and how these are altered in people with respiratory disease,” said the study’s author John Elliot, a senior research officer at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Western Australia.

“Looking at samples of lung, we spotted fatty tissue that had built up in the airway walls. We wanted to see if this accumulation was correlated with body weight,” added Elliot.

The researchers examined post-mortem samples of the lung that had been donated for research and stored in the Airway Tissue Biobank. They studied samples from 52 people, including 15 who had no reported asthma, 21 who had asthma but died of other causes and 16 who died of asthma.

Using dyes to help visualise the structures of 1373 airways under a microscope, they identified and quantified any fatty tissue present. They compared this data with each person’s body mass index (BMI).For the first time, the study showed that fatty tissue accumulates in the walls of the airways. The analysis revealed that the amount of fat present increases in line with increasing BMI. The research also suggests that this increase in fat alters the normal structure of the airways and leads to inflammation in the lungs.

“Being overweight or obese has already been linked to having asthma or having worse asthma symptoms. Researchers have suggested that the link might be explained by the direct pressure of excess weight on the lungs or by a general increase in inflammation created by excess weight,” said co-author, Dr. Peter Noble, an associate professor at the University of Western Australia in Perth.

“This study suggests that another mechanism is also at play. We’ve found that excess fat accumulates in the airway walls where it takes up space and seems to increase inflammation within the lungs. We think this is causing a thickening of the airways that limits the flow of air in and out of the lungs, and that could at least partly explain an increase in asthma symptoms, ” Dr. Peter Noble added.