NE HEALTH BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, OCT 23
Cancer specialists have urged the general public, especially women to realise the importance of early diagnosis of the disease, which goes a long way in getting better treatment results and improves the quality of life.
Speaking on the occasion of the ongoing breast cancer awareness month in October, an expert panel of Shalby Cancer & Research Institute (SCRI) here on Thursday said that a majority of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in the country continue to approach oncologists for treatment at a very late stage, which not only makes the treatment very challenging but also makes it quite a painful ordeal for patients.
According to a recent report released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Centre for Disease Informatics & Research (NCDIR), breast cancer will be the most common cancer among women in India in 2020. Of the reported cases of cancer among women, 14 percent cases are breast cancer. It is reported that every four minutes, an Indian woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer is on the rise, both in rural and urban India. A report on Breast Cancer Statistics in 2018 recorded 1, 62,468 new registered cases and 87,090 reported deaths.
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Speaking to navjeevanexpress.com, Dr Bhavesh Parekh, Head of the Department of Oncology, Shalby Cancer & Research Institute said, “Cancer survival becomes more difficult in higher stages of its growth, and more than 50 percent of Indian women suffer from stage 3 and 4 of breast cancer. Post- cancer survival for women with breast cancer was reported at 60 percent in Indian women, as compared to 80 percent in the US. This year we have so far attended nearly 900 cancer patients and 750 of them have cured completely. The remaining are undergoing treatment.”
Senior oncology surgeons Dr Bhargav Maharaja, and Dr Dharmesh Panchal said, “Women can self-diagnose their condition and know about the presence of lumps or masses that suggest cancerous outgrowths. The very reason for a low breast cancer survival rate of women in India is due to lack of awareness and low rate of early screening and diagnosis. The simplest way to breast cancer prevention is by being able to do self-breast examination and leading a healthy lifestyle. Women should be doing self-breast examination regularly after they turn 30. In cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, breast cancer accounts for 25% to 32% of all female cancers, which in other words is more than 1/4th of all female cancers.”
It’s also more common in the younger age groups. Almost 50% of all cases are in the age group of 25-50. And more than 70% of these cases present in the advanced stage which results in poor survival rate and high mortality.
According to Dr Parekh, “Right from the time of diagnosis and onwards during the prolonged treatment stage, cancer patients may undergo feelings of depression and anxiety. There is a fear of the unknown and a sense of vacuum. At this time, patients undergoing treatment, cured patients as well as counsellors support them. Support groups and counselling services are active in many cities in India. October month is observed as the “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”, we at Shalby Multi-speciality Hospitals started a “Breast Cancer Survival Group” across India, connecting our 11 hospital units.
We also have a team of dietician, yoga trainer, counsellor and doctors to make more impact on breast cancer treatment and survival, Dr Parekh added.
