Dr. Anadi Pachaury
Even though India has historically struggled with cancer, new estimates show that the incidence is now increasing at a much significant rate. Cancer, which was formerly regarded to be a disease that only affects the elderly, is increasingly a cause for concern among teenagers and children. The Healthcare trend that has come to the fore in recent times is a steep rise in cancer cases in the region that previously came under the state of Jammu & Kashmir. According to Union Health Ministry's figures, J&K has reported an estimated 39041 cancer cases, of which 12675 were recorded in 2019, 13012 in 2020, and 13354 in 2021.
Treatment of cancer is a slow process that involves a multitude of steps that require infrastructure. Right from the diagnosis, cancer treatment involves PET scans, biopsies, intervention surgeries, and different types of radiation and hormonal therapies. The union territory of Kashmir is equipped to provide proper care to the cancer patient but recent outbursts in cancer incidence in the region might soon expose the lack of infrastructure. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), cancer incidence in India is expected to rise by 12% in the next five years. Longer life expectancy contributes significantly to the overall cancer rate. As people get older, their bodies have more time to develop defects, and the body accumulates more of these faults in their DNA, raising the risk of cancer significantly. The first cause of rising cancer rates is a larger proportion of older people. The greater the number of people over the age of 65 in the population, the greater the risk of cancer.
Cancer has no single cause; it is complex, just like diabetes and heart disease. The rise in cancer cases in India can be attributed to several factors. Adoption of poor food habits, poor lifestyle, longer working hours, increasingly stressful lives, smoking, alcohol use, contraceptive use, constipation, and lack of exercise are some of them. Another significant reason for the rise in cancer incidence is the unavailability of additional cancer screening facilities, including in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Regular screenings and early diagnosis can help to improve the chances of beating the disease.
While we all know that living an active lifestyle is vital for avoiding cancer, some other unbreakable guidelines include no smoking, no tobacco chewing, avoiding processed foods, regular exercise, and, finally, meditation. While we don't have accurate data on the impact of stress on the occurrence of cancer, there is compelling evidence that stress can cause hypertension, which can wreak havoc on the body.
