India's Cancer Burden

On this edition of The Pulse, we'll talk about India's growing cancer burden...the factors leading to such an alarming increase in cancer cases... and what can be done to prevent and control the disease... 4th of February marked World Cancer Day...Every year the day is observed worldwide to raise awareness about cancer and work to make it a global health priority...as cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. According to the World Health Organisation, one in six deaths across the world is due to cancer. Approximately 70% of deaths from cancer occur in low- and middle-income countries. India had an estimated 1.16 million new cancer cases in 2018... 784,800 cancer deaths, and 2.26 million 5-year prevalent cases in a population of 1.35 billion.The rate at which cancer cases are rising in the country, the WHO warns - One in every 10 Indians will develop cancer during their lifetime and one in every 15 will die of the disease. Breast cancer, oral cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer and colorectal cancer are the most common types of cancer in India, accounting for nearly 50% of all new cancer cases in the country. Guest - Sushma Bhatnagar, Professor and Head, Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, AIIMS Dr. Sunil Khetarpal, Chief Transformation Officer, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre, Delhi C. Rekha Gulabani, Director, Resource, Indian Cancer Society Dr. Ajay Gogia, Associate Professor (Breast Cancer) Department of Medical Oncology, AIIMS Anchor- TEENA JHA