Cancer cases among ruralites on the rise: MNJ hospital study

Hyderabad: The mobile cancer screening lab started by the MNJ Cancer Hospital finds an alarming rate of cancer patients in the rural masses, especially women, as the doctors found many cases in random testing taken up even in small villages.

On World Cancer Day in February last year, the State-run Mehdi Nawaz Jung (MNJ) Cancer Hospital in the city launched a mobile cancer screening bus designed with the necessary equipment to conduct free cancer screening in the districts. The tests, which usually cost Rs 10,000 were being taken up for free by doctors of the hospital.

According to the higher officials, the mobile lab was being taken in the rural areas in Adilabad, Mahabubnagar, and Khammam districts.

The official said that they use fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), which involves using a narrow needle to collect a scratch sample for microscopic examination. It is also a type of biopsy that helps diagnose on the same day. The cancers detected were mouth, breast and bone. Most women screened were having breast cancer, the official said.

The MNJ Cancer Hospital Director, Dr. N Jayalatha, said that so far over 8,000 samples were tested during the visit to the districts. She said they found many cases even in the random sampling in the villages.

In a recent visit to Mahabubnagar, while screening in a single village, there were four women who had cancer. However, the positive news was that these were in the nascent stages like stage one or two. These women were unaware that they had cancer and were living normal lives. Most of the patients come for screening after the problem gets intensified and leads to death. If the cancer is detected in an early stage, it can be cured.

The authorities are referring the cancer cases to the MNJ Hospital in the city. According to data, 40 percent of patients receiving treatment in the hospitals are from the villages where the mobile screening lab was taken. The officials said that the mobile vans are helping not only to screen the masses but also to create awareness of the disease.