Surgical oncologist says instances of cancer in India are on the wane

The incidence of cancer in India was coming down while it was on the rise in the United States and Europe, said well-known surgical oncologist and director of Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital Rajendra A. Badwe.

Delivering a talk at the Apollo Cancer Conclave here on Friday, Dr. Badwe said that India had 100 cancer patients for every one lakh population, while US has 350. Similarly, there were 40-50 breast cancer cases among a lakh Indians, while the figure in the US was close to 120.

Rural India does even better, with only 50 instances of cancer for every lakh population, the cancer specialist said, blaming higher levels of obesity in cities for the yawning gap.

“We can bring down the incidence of cancer in India by two-thirds if we take three major steps: privacy of bathrooms to ensure personal hygiene, restrictions on the use of tobacco and controlling obesity.”

Heredity’s role

Dr. Rajiv Sarin of the Tata Memorial Centre who delivered a lecture on cancer genetics said the risk of hereditary cancers was in the range of five per cent for cancer of the breast, 10 per cent for that of the ovary, 20 per cent for colorectal and 20 per cent for childhood cancers.

Dr. Sarin said those with a defective BRCA1 gene had 75 per cent chances of developing breast cancer, and 30 per cent chance of developing ovarian cancer in their lifetime.

“Such high-risk patients have to be put on a monthly breast self-examination programme, annual mammography screening and other options like removing ovaries, which fully wipes the risk of ovarian cancer and reduces breast cancer risk by 50 per cent,” Dr. Sarin said.

We can bring down the incidence of cancer in India by two-thirds if we take three major steps: privacy of bathrooms to ensure personal hygiene, restrictions on the use of tobacco and controlling obesity

– Dr. Rajendra A. Badwe

Director, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai