Ban on tobacco will put an end to lung cancer: Surgical oncologist

Lung cancer has been growing at an alarming rate, particularly in the developed nations. Despite awareness about the ill-effects of smoking tobacco, people continue to smoke, harming not only themselves, but also those around them. In an interaction with DNA, Dr Jagannath Dixit, consultant, surgical oncologist, HCG, spoke about the impact of smoking on lung cancer.

What is the incidence of lung cancer in India?
In India, we see roughly 10 cases of lung cancer per 1,000 people. Mostly, youth in their 20s and 30s are affected. Around 30% of all cancer cases are of lung cancer and around 80%-90% of the cases are detected in stage three and four. Mostly, patients from the lower economic strata get symptomatic treatment from family doctors and consult the oncologists only at the fourth stage.

What are the symptoms of lung cancer?
Symptoms for lung cancer includes uncontrolled cough that doesn’t come down with antibiotics, chest pain, coughing out blood and wheezing. In cases where the disease has spread to the bones, patients suffer from bony pain.

Are passive smokers too affected?
Passive smokers carry a higher risk than active smokers. We do get cases of lung cancer in women who are exposed to chain-smoking by other family members. This is because in active smoking, the smoke is inhaled and exhaled out. But in case of passive smoking, the smoke is mostly inhaled and absorbed in the body.

Do you think there is a need to generate more awareness among people about the ill-effects of smoking?
The awareness level already exists and 99% of smokers, at least from the city, know that smoking is injurious to health. However, once you develop the habit, the nicotine level makes you addicted and dependent on cigarettes.

Around 80% to 90% of lung cancer cases are directly related to smoking. That apart, smoking can also lead to hypertension, gastric ulcer, stroke, bronchal asthma, gangrene and heart attacks. Among women, it leads to pre-mature delivery and abortions. Although people are aware of the ill-effects of smoking, most of them fail to overcome the addiction.

What can be done to improve the situation?
Ideally, the government should ban tobacco at the production level itself to tackle this problem. Since smokers already know that smoking is injurious to health, no picture depiction of crab or skull on the packets is going to help. Even social awareness class about the harmful effects of smoking at the school level will not be of much help.

Banning smoking in public places too won’t be useful unless smokers are self-motivated to quit smoking.

Regular yoga, meditation, nicotine and chewing gum can help the smoker give up smoking.