GROWING IMPACT OF CANCER

GROWING IMPACT OF CANCER  I  Race IAS : Best Coaching in lucknow I  Current Affairs

GROWING IMPACT OF CANCER

Mains Exam. General Studies: 2, 3  (Health, Science and Technology)

Reference:

  • The cases of cancer are continuously increasing all over the world. According to the 'Global Cancer Observatory' (Globocon), due to demographic changes, by 2040 worldwide cancer cases may increase up to 28.4 million per year. These cases may be 47 percent more than in the year 2020. In the year 2020, there were about 1.93 crore new cases of cancer worldwide and about one crore people died due to it.
  • According to various international agencies, the number of cancer patients may increase due to the risks associated with globalization and growing economy.

What is Cancer:

  • Uncontrolled growth of cells is called cancer.
  • The condition of mutation in the genes of one or more cells in the body is called cancer.
  • Pieces of genes (deoxyribonucleic acid) are inside every cell. Genes are responsible for cell growth and division. But when these genes are damaged, the cell becomes more prone to cancer.
  • Cancer is studied in the 'oncology' branch of science.
  • The country's largest National Cancer Institute is located in Jhajjar, Haryana.

Cancer Types:

  • There are several types of cancer depending on the physical symptoms:
  • Carcinoma – This is a cancer that starts in the skin or tissues and affects other parts of the body.
  • Sarcoma – Sarcoma is a cancer of connective tissues such as bones, muscles, cartilage and blood vessels.
  • Leukemia – Leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow, which produces blood cells.
  • Lymphoma and Myeloma are cancers of the immune system.

Symptoms of Cancer:

  • No healing of skin wounds.
  • Abnormal bleeding from any part of the body.
  • Rapid loss of body weight.
  • Gradual loss of appetite.
  • Difficulty swallowing food.

Measures to prevent Cancer:

  • Regular physical exercise and yoga practice.
  • Keeping body weight under control.
  • Being active in daily activities.
  • Getting regular health check-ups done.
  • Being aware of the changes and symptoms in the body.
  • Adopting safe sex practices.
  • Avoiding exposure to environmental carcinogenic substances.
  • No smoking and consumption of alcohol.
  • Consuming spicy, fried, preserved and junk food.

Therapies used for the treatment of Cancer:

CAR T-cell therapy

  • In this type of treatment, a patient's T cells (a type of immune cell) are modified in a laboratory so that they bind to cancer cells and kill them.

Cancer cases in India:

  • Breast cancer, cervical cancer, oral cancer, lung and colorectal cancer are the five most common cancers in India.

According to the 'World Cancer Report'-

  • About 11.6 lakh cases of cancer occurred in India in 2018, out of which 7,84,800 people died.

'International Agency for Research on Cancer' organization (WHO) report-

  • One in every ten Indians gets cancer while one in every fifteen dies of cancer.
  • Twenty percent of the world's cancer patients are in India.

Latest report of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-

  • Cancer cases will increase by 12 percent in the next five years in India.
  • By the year 2025, the number of cancer patients will cross 15.69 lakhs.
  • Cancers of the lungs, mouth, stomach and trachea are most common in men, while breast cancer cases have risen sharply in women.

According to Central Health and Family Welfare-

  • The number of cancer patients in the country was 13,25,232 in 2018, which increased to 13,58,415 in 2019 and 13,92,179 in 2020.
  • Cancer cases increased by about 67 thousand in two years in 2018-2020.
  • Cancer deaths have increased in the country within the last two years. The estimated death rate from this was 7,70,230 in 2020, which increased to 7,89,202 in 2021 and 8,08,558 in 2022.

According to the report released by ICMR and National Center for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR)-

  • By 2025, 7.6 lakh men and 8.1 lakh women may get cancer.
  • About 27 percent of the total cancer cases in India are estimated to be tobacco related.
  • The cases of cancer related to tobacco are the highest in the North-Eastern states of the country.
  • The highest number of cancer cases in India have been reported in Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, while Arunachal Pradesh has 219.8 cases per lakh population among females.

Major reasons for the rise of cancer in India:

  • According to various reports, fifty percent of cancer cases in men are caused by tobacco.
  • 20-30 percent of cancer cases are related to diet, reproduction and sexual behavior etc.
  • Based on epidemiological studies, 70-90% of cancer cases are increasing due to major lifestyle changes.
  • Junk food, alcohol and tobacco consumption and poor air quality etc. are responsible for many reasons for cancer, which cause changes in the structure of body cells.
  • A research has revealed that due to deficiency of Vitamin D in the body, the chances of blood cancer increases a lot.

Initiatives of the Government of India for the diagnosis of Cancer:

  •  In recent years, the government has taken several steps to deal with the challenge of cancer more effectively.
  •  These include strengthening the infrastructure for cancer prevention, control, screening and care.
  •  In February 2018, the Government of India announced the setting up of Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centers across the country.
  •  Surgical oncology along with chemotherapy and radiotherapy packages are covered for cancer treatment in empaneled hospitals under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
  •  Measures are being taken by the government to discourage the use of tobacco products.
  • Government is continuously using print, electronic and social media to raise public awareness about cancer and promote healthy lifestyle.
  • Healthy eating is also promoted through the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
  • 19 State Cancer Institutes and 20 Tertiary Care Cancer Centers have been approved.
  • Cervical cancer ranks second among cancers in India. India has launched its first indigenously developed vaccine 'Servvac' for the prevention of cervical cancer.
  • Production Linked Incentive Scheme to promote domestic manufacturing of medical devices was approved on March 20, 2020.
  • Government has promoted research in Ayurveda to develop cancer treatment.

Efforts at International Level:

  • World Cancer Day is celebrated every year on 4 February since 2000 to make people aware of cancer.
  • This year the theme of World Cancer Day 2023 is “Close the Care Gap”.
  • The Union for International Cancer Control, an organization to work against cancer globally, was established in 1993 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Conclusion:

  • The growing caces of Cancer in India is posing a serious challenge to the health infrastructure of the country.
  • Cancer experts believe that due to globalization, growing economy, increasing population and changing lifestyle in India, cases of incurable diseases like cancer will increase rapidly in India.
  • Government of India Vaccines for prevention and treatment of cancer, artificial intelligence, extension of data digital technology, liquid biopsy diagnosis, genomic profiling, gene editing technologies and next generation immunotherapies and CAR-T cell therapy etc. has arranged.
  • The Central and State Governments need to work with full determination to stop the increasing cases of Cancer.

                   --------------------------------------------

 

Mains Exam. Question:

 Mention the efforts of the Government of India for the prevention of Cancer.