Proactive steps needed to fight cancer: Docs

At an event held to laud the fighting spirit of cancer survivors in Ahmedabad, several doctors stressed on the need for better awareness about the dreaded disease.

Speaking on the occasion Dr SS Alurkar, medical oncologist said that it was possible to fight cancer provided it was detected at an early stage. “Several cancers, including leukaemia in children, can now be completely cured,” said Dr Alurkar. He further said more proactive steps, like banning of gutkha and other tobacco products, needed to be done to prevent head and neck cancer.
Radiation oncologist Dr Kinjal Jani also stressed on the need for early detection. “There is a need for regular check-ups and pre-screening to ensure that cancer is detected at an early stage,” he said. Dr Jani said that there was also a considerable rise in cancer among the young due to tobacco-usage. “And in most of these cases they began tobacco consumption early in the childhood,” he said.

Dr Anagha Zope, breast surgeon said that incidence of breast cancer among young women are on the rise. “In this disease there is also a stigma and shame associated, which means women are not willing to come forward and talk about it,” she said.