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Fighting Cancer-Challenge To Humanity At Large
Highlights
4th Febraury declared as the world cancer day by United Nations. As many as 8 to 10 million people are loosing their lives every year due to cancer across the world and the numbers are rising at an alarming level.
4th Febraury declared as the world cancer day by United Nations. As many as 8 to 10 million people are loosing their lives every year due to cancer across the world and the numbers are rising at an alarming level.
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The reasons for spread of the cancer are mainly due to high BMI, high intake of nicotin, alcohal, tobaco, and also extra comfort life style where there is no physical work to the body. High levels of pollution is also another factor causing lung cancers. Breast cancer rate is also growing in women at a faster pace.
Cancer though a curable disease now a days provided diagnosis is done at the early stages and good treatment is extended is not stopping the deaths in low and middle income groups due to lack of awareness and education. Many of these groups neglect the disease in the initial stages due to improper diagnosis by the RMP's who are in reach to them. Secondly people also feel shy in approaching a doctor especially in the case of breast cancers. Sexually transmitted HPV and HBV are also the reasons for cancers in lower income groups.
There is a need for concerted effort from both government as well as NGO's to eradicate this cancer disease from the society by using preventive campaigns promotion. Vaccination to avoid human apilloma virus(HPV) and Hepatitis B virus(HBV) can reduce the risk of cancer.
similarly higher exposure to sunlight and UV radiation is also to be avoided to reduce the cancer spread. Screening should be done in all district medical hospitals which is defined by UN as as "the systematic application of a test in an asymptomatic population. It aims to identify individuals with abnormalities suggestive of a specific cancer or pre-cancer and refer them promptly for diagnosis and treatment".
Screening programmes are usefull for a cost-effective and well accepted method to save the population from cancer risk. There are several screening methods defined by UN:
visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for cervical cancer in low-resource settings;
PAP test for cervical cancer in middle- and high-income settings;
mammography screening for breast cancer .
The Government should conduct cancer awareness week / month every year in specific days to spread the awareness about the symptoms of cancer and ways and methods for diagnosis of cancer to the masses so that people make efforts to take steps to clear the problem at its roots. Effective public health programmes by both state and NGO's, comprising of sports personalities and movie actors who fought the disease (ex: Yuvaraj singh, Manisha koirala)community- and home-based awareness and care are essential to provide pain relief and palliative care for cancer patients and their families. Improved access to oral morphine is mandatory for the treatment of moderate to severe cancer pain, suffered by over 80% of cancer patients in terminal phase.
Hope Government provides free insurance at least to low and middle income groups( whose annual income is less than 2 lakhs) to get treatment expences covered and face the disease with confidence which is vital for cancer treatment.
By Raghu bhushan Eranki.
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