WHO's latest report on cancer in India

WHO's latest report on cancer in India

GS-III: Science and Technology

(UPSC/State PSC)

Important for Prelims:

WHO's latest report on cancer in India, World Cancer Day, National Cancer Control Programme, NPCDCS Programme, India's first indigenously developed vaccine for prevention of cervical cancer - “CervaVac”, Cancer treatments – Immunotherapy, Chemotherapy Radiation Therapy, Hormone Therapy, Targeted therapy, stem cell transplant, surgery.

Important for Mains:

WHO's latest report on cancer situation in India, global outlook on cancer incidence, current options for cancer treatment, way forward, conclusions.

February 05, 2024

Why in News:

  • The latest WHO report released recently shows the serious situation on cancer in India.

World Cancer Day:

  • World Cancer Day is celebrated every year on 4 February.
  • The purpose of this day is to increase people's awareness about cancer and encourage its prevention, detection and treatment.

Highlights of WHO report:

  • According to estimates by the Global Cancer Observatory, 32 percent of new cases of breast, oral and cervical cancer were reported in India in the year 2022.
  • The data shows that cancer cases among women are 7,22,138 more than among men, of which 6,91,178 men are affected.
  • According to the latest estimate released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), India is expected to see over 1413 lakh new cancer cases and 9.16 lakh deaths in 2022.

Global scenario related to cancer cases:

  • Globally, approximately 8.8 million people die from cancer every year.
  • If left unchecked, the number of deaths will increase to 13.2 million per year by 2030.
  • The estimated number of people who survived five years after a cancer diagnosis was 53.5 million.
  • Approximately one in five people develop cancer in their lifetime, globally approximately one in nine men and one in 12 women develop the disease.
  • The report also predicts more than 35 million new cancer cases in 2050 – a 77 percent increase from the 20 million projected in 2022.
  • Due to late presentation and lack of access to care, the success rate of treating childhood cancer is 50 to 60 percent.

Cancer in Women:

  • The top five cancers among Indian women were found to be: breast, cervix, ovary, mouth and colorectum.
  • Breast cancer was the leading cancer among women with 1,92,020 new cases (26.6 per cent), followed by cervical cancer with 1,27,526 cases (17.7 per cent).
  • The third most frequent cancer in women in 2022 was ovarian (6.6 percent).

Cancer in Men:

  • The top five cancers in men were: oral cavity, lung, esophagus, colorectum and stomach.
  • Among men, oral cancer was the most reported with 1,07,812 new cases (15.6 per cent), followed by lung cancer (58,970 new cases - 8.5 per cent) and esophageal cancer (45608 - 6.6 per cent).

Cases of death due to cancer:

In India-

  • The leading cause of death in the country in 2022 was breast cancer (98,337 – 13.7 percent), followed by oral cancer (79,979 – 5.6 percent) and cervical cancer (79,906 – 11.2 percent).

In the world-

  • Globally, there are an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths in 2022.

About Cancer:

  • Cancer is a group of diseases, as per WHO, where abnormal cells grow uncontrollably in any organ or tissue of the body.
  • These cells go beyond their usual boundaries, invade nearby parts of the body, and can spread to other organs.
  • This spreading process is called metastasizing and is a significant cause of death from cancer.

Common Types of Cancers

  • In men, lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach, and liver cancer are most common, while in women, breast, colorectal, lung, cervical, and thyroid cancer top the list.

Causes of Cancer:

  • According to WHO, cancer develops when normal cells transform into tumor cells in a multi-stage process.
  • Lifestyle also plays a crucial role, with factors like being overweight and having low physical activity associated with breast and colorectal cancer.

Current options for Cancer treatment:

  • There are many treatment modalities available, ranging from immunotherapy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy to hormone therapy, targeted therapy, stem cell transplants, surgery and precision medicine.
  • Surgery: An operation where the doctor cuts out tissue containing cancer cells.
  • Chemotherapy: Special drugs that shrink or kill cancer cells.
  • Radiation therapy: Using high energy rays (similar to X-rays) to kill cancer cells.
  • Immunotherapy: A treatment that works with the body's immune system to help fight cancer cells or control side effects from other cancer treatments.

Causes of Cancer:

  • According to WHO, cancer develops when normal cells transform into tumor cells in a multi-stage process.
  • Lifestyle also plays an important role, with factors such as being overweight and having low physical activity linked to breast and colorectal cancer.
  • WHO also published survey results of 115 countries, showing that most countries do not adequately finance priority cancer and palliative care services as part of universal health coverage (UHC).
  • In recent years, India has emerged as the world's third largest cancer burden country, with oncology now competing with cardiology in diagnosis, care and management in leading healthcare chains.
  • Cancer screening and early detection programs in India are not as prevalent and comprehensive as they should be, especially when compared with developed countries.

Efforts for Cancer Awareness in India:

  • National Awareness Day is celebrated every year on 7 November.
  • India started its screening program for the most common cancers in 2010 under the National Program for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke (NPCDCS).
  • National Cancer Control Programme: Launched in the year 1975 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
  • India's first indigenously developed vaccine – “CervaVac” has been announced for the prevention of cervical cancer, the second most common cancer in India.

Way Forward:

  • There is a need to emphasize the need for healthy lifestyle as the only preventive practice.
  • Avoiding tobacco (in any form) and alcohol, more physical activity, losing weight and preventing infections are important strategies we need to adopt.
  • A physically healthy and active person is much less likely to develop cancer than others.
  • The main factors responsible for breast cancer in women are increasing smoking, alcohol use, obesity and lack of breastfeeding etc.
  • To prevent cancer, we also need to avoid ultra-processed foods, unhealthy fats and foods high in sugar.
  • In India, two out of every three people diagnosed die. This is partly due to late presentation. The government should therefore launch a multi-pronged attack and ensure diagonal access to health care by strengthening primary health facilities for cancer prevention and early detection.
  • The government should ensure that it has price controls on all medicines included in the WHO essential medicine list.
  • Chemotherapy should be easily available and at UICC, Access to Oncological Medicines, a global access program to improve access to essential cancer medicines, needs to be launched on a large scale.

Conclusion:

A cancer diagnosis is a health issue for the patient, but it is also a source of financial distress for the entire family. Hence considering the severity of cancer, there is a need to curb the prices of drugs, devices and procedures as the actual treatment cost is increasing every year with the introduction of new technology, drugs, interventions and diagnostic procedures.

Source: Indian Express

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Mains Question:

What is cancer? Review the awareness programs taken up by India highlighting the existing cancer treatment options.