Widespread Screening Essential In Reducing Indias Cancer Burden

Cancer, which affects million of people across the world, is a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body. It can start in almost any part of the human body. The natural order of the human body dictates that human cells grow and multiply to form new cells. The older and the damaged cells die during the process and new cells take their place. But sometimes, abnormal or damaged cells grow and multiply when they shouldn’t. These cells may lead to tumors that can be cancerous or not cancerous (benign).

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), there will be an estimated 12 per cent rise in cancer cases in India in the next five years. The projected annual incidence is 94 per lakh in men and 103 per lakh in women, according to the Cancer Statistics Report, 2020.

There are a number of reasons for this rise in cancer cases. Longer life expectancy is an important cause: Cancer is mainly a disease of older men and women, and the incidence is expected to

be higher as life expectancy of a population improves rapidly, as has occurred in India in recent times.

[“source=ndtv”]