‘15-20% of all cancers related to head, neck’

JAIPUR: More than half of the patients suffering from head and

neck

cancer die within one year after being diagnosed with the disease, city-based

cancer

experts said on the eve of the World Head and Neck Cancer Day (July 27).

They appealed to the people to quit tobacco consumption to ward off the risk of cancer. “Gutkha and smoking are the leading causes of head and neck cancer. We see that 15-20 percent of all

cancers

are related to head and neck,” said Dr Lalit Mohan, medical oncologist at a private cancer hospital.

He said that it is more painful to see patients of head and neck cancer who belong to the 20-40 years age category. “At this young age, they are diagnosed with cancer, which is really disturbing. Majority of them are diagnosed in advance stage. The cost of treatment of advance-stage cancer is high and the outcome of the treatment is not very encouraging,” said Dr Mohan.

Head and Neck Cancer occur in mouth,

larynx

, throat or nose. Dr Pawan Singhal, Professor (ENT surgeon) Sawai Man Singh Hospital said, “Head & Neck cancers are the biggest source of cancer burden. Nearly half of the newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients die within 12 months of diagnosis. Paradoxically, two-thirds of head and neck cancers are related to known agents such as tobacco,

areca nut

and alcohol. Unfortunately, these causative agents are freely available either due to a weak policy or weak implementation or the absence of it.”

Dr Singhal said the situation is getting alarming, so ‘Pledge for Life’ campaign is the solution and a preventive strategy to keep a check on cancer. This campaign aims at making all educational institutes tobacco free so that children do not start tobacco use.

He said, “We must take all necessary steps to reduce cancers, especially those which are preventable. Our focus must be on youth for all preventive measures in order to have a healthy society. 13.5 lakh people die in India every year due to tobacco use, which is a major cause of cancer.”