Ongole: Awareness of cancer key to treat it earlier

Ongole: It is very much required to create awareness on cancer among the public, so that they can get the screening done immediately if the symptoms are observed, said Dr RV Raghunandan, consultant radiation oncologist at the HCG MNR Curie Cancer Centre in Ongole.

The hospital organised a 3-km walkathon to create awareness on cancer among the public, observing the World Cancer Day in Ongole on Thursday.

The mountaineer from Ongole, Sk Himamsa and Dr RV Raghunandan flagged off the walkathon while the centre head MR Raghunandan, consultant surgical oncologists N Ramana Reddy, Y Rama Krishna Reddy and others also participated in the programme. Appreciating the hospital for the initiative, Himamsa said that early detection of the cancer helps the patient to have a healthy life span with proper treatment and advised the people who are diagnosed for cancer not to worry as all types of cancers can be cured now.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr RV Raghunandan said that cancer is the second leading death cause in the world and about one crore people are dying due to it every year. In India, he said that about 12 lakh cancer cases are being registered every year, while 8 lakh patients are dying due to the late detection of the disease as most of the public have no awareness. He said that they are trying to create awareness on cancer in the public through the Asha workers and other rural medical practitioners in the villages, by imparting special training programmes to them.

He told 'The Hans India' that most of the women are experiencing cervix cancer, breast cancer while the men are having mouth, lung, and stomach cancers due to lifestyle issues. He explained that women who are having issues like white discharge, foul smell, bleeding, or painless lumps in the breast must undergo for cancer screening tests to make sure that it is not due to cancers. He said that men who are used to consume alcohol and use tobacco products, there is a great chance to become victims of cancer. He revealed that the ratio of men and women in cancer patients is around 60 and 40.

Dr Raghunandan said that the hereditary lifestyle and stress in life are also causing cancers. He advised reducing junk food that has fats and increase in taking more fibres, and start practising yoga and doing exercises to relieve stress. He said that the HPV vaccines protest adolescent girls from becoming victims of cervix cancer in their middle age and suggested all people of 40 years and above age to get the cancer screening tests done, to identify if they are at risk of any cancer.