Cancer and malignancies
AS much as 30 to 40% of males and 11-16% of females, among those afflicted with malignancies, in India are head and neck cancer patients, experts said.
“Head and neck cancer patients pose a significant problem in our country, constituting 30-40% of all cancers in male and almost 11-16% in females, and there is a need to spread proper awareness,” surgical oncologist Gautam Mukhopadhyay said at the launch of the West Bengal Head and Neck Society.
Mukhopadhyay, a senior trustee of the society, said annually over 200 000 such cancers occur in India, out of which 80 000 are oral cancers.
According to him, lifestyle behaviour like chewing tobacco, betel leaves and smoking remain the main reasons for such a high incidence of oral and pharyngeal cancer.
The symptoms of head and neck cancer can be any persisting ulcers inside the mouth, change in voice, problem in swallowing food, a painless lump inside the neck for almost 4 weeks, chronic coughing, bleeding from ears, nose or throat and so on.
According to PN Mahapatra, a senior oncologist and senior trustee of the society, most mouth cancer is seen in patients after the age of 55.
“But there is an alarming trend towards the younger patient population. Malignancy of thyroid glands affecting all age groups is also rising and India stands second in prevalence of oesophageal cancer, after China.”
Mukhopadhyay said the newly formed society would create awareness about head and neck cancer in the state. “Our primary focus is on cohesive work, communication between the public and private sectors through scientific seminars, awareness camps, conferences and workshops to give world-class facilities to patients,” he said.
Another senior oncologist, Aniruddha Dam said the society would try to bridge the gap between city- and districtbased diagnosis of such cancers.
According to him, there is a need for a population-based cancer registry for head and neck cancer, and the society aims to reach out to the maximum number of hospitals in that regard. He also said training upcoming doctors would help in early diagnosis and give the best treatment to head and neck cancer patients.
This year, the World Tour of the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies will be held in Kolkata from October 26 to 28. – IANS