Why is Cancer in India so Deadly?

Cancer in India: Why is it Such a Threat?

Cancer is one of the most difficult diseases to treat and one of the leading causes of death globally. In India, the cancer burden and cancer deaths are rising quickly. Here’s why cancer is so difficult.

1. Cancer is not detected by the body’s immune system
   • Cancer is caused by malfunctioning genes. Genes are in almost every cell in your body and contain the instructions for what that cell is supposed to do. Cancer genes typically steal nourishment from other cells while reproducing without carrying out any of the productive functions the cell was supposed to.
     • A new class of treatment called immunotherapy aims to help the body recognize and fight cancer.
2. Cancer adapts to treatment
   • You may have heard the word “relapse”: meaning the cancer was treated but the came back. Or how a cancer treatment was initially working but then failed. Cancer cells are known to adapt to treatment. The cancer cells evolve and change to become resistant to treatment and a new treatment line may be prescribed.
3. Cancer spreads to different body parts
   • You may have also heard the word “metastasize“: meaning cancer spreads from one body part to another (read about Sonali Bendre’s cancer). For example, a breast cancer may spread to the lungs. This becomes even more difficult to treat, as different parts may require different treatments.
4. You are unique. And so is your cancer
   • Two people with lung cancer are treated with the same medications. One responds and the other does not. Why? Because the genetic changes (malfunctioning genes) that cause cancer are different from person to person. Just as individuals do not share the same genetic makeup neither does their cancer.

Cancer in India

Cancer In India has additional complications detrimental to patients:

1. Cancer is often ignored or not diagnosed at an early stage (80%). Patients do not end up seeing doctors when the cancer is at an early stage (easier to treat). Most end up seeing doctors when its fairly advanced and most often spread to other organs.
2. 71% of Indian cancer death are between 30-69 years. This again has been contributed due to late detection and improper screening methods.
3. 70% of patients die within the first year of cancer. Again, as cancer is detected at a late stage treating it becomes very complex and thus survival rates drastically decrease.
4. 50% of cancer cases are due to lifestyle factors such as consumption of tobacco (leading cause of throat cancer in india) or obesity. Tobacco has shown strong linkage to risk of cancer and should be not consumed. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and regular check ups is the key to controlling cancer.
5. 15% of cancers in minor. This could be both genetic and environmental.

Risk of cancer is both genetic and environment thus many times uncontrollable. What is in your hands is early detection. As that exponentially increases the change of survival. Regularly screening, healthy diet and lifestyle are the key to dealing with cancer today.