Dr. Rakesh K. Thusoo
The acting career and lives of two most loved celluloid stars Rishi Kapoor and Irfan Khan were cut short due to the dreaded disease, Cancer. I was wondering, if the readers remember that Sh. Manohar Parrikar, BJP MP and Ex-Defence Minister of India and Steve Jobs, CEO of APPLE suffered a similar untimely death. Recently, Rishi Kapoor’s sister, Mrs. Ritu Nanda, also passed away due to the same disease. My intention is to highlight these people in order to bring your kind attention towards the disease and to remind people that, the disease is spreading at a faster rate, consuming young lives and it can affect anyone irrespective of their profiles. It does not differentiate between entrepreneurs, politicians, actors, or common citizens and the worst is that it can be familial. According to the statistics of GLOBOCAN 2018 (International Agency for Research on Cancer) published in CA: A cancer journal for clinicians by Dr. Freddie Bray in the year 2018, there may be an estimated 18.1 million new cancer cases (excluding skin cancer) and 9.6 million cancer deaths. Out of all cases, 11.6% cases belong to Lung cancer alone and is the most commonly diagnosed cancer followed by female breast cancer (11.6%), prostate cancer (7.1%), and colorectal cancer (6.1%) for incidence and colorectal cancer (9.2%), stomach cancer (8.2%), and liver cancer (8.2%) for mortality. Lung cancer and breast cancer are the most frequent cancers among males and females respectively, followed by prostate and colorectal cancer (for incidence) and liver and stomach cancer (for mortality). Cervical cancer ranks fourth for both incidence and death among women. Cervical cancers are a major cause of concern for our country and particularly Jammu and Kashmir as the majority of our women are not vaccinated against it. Depending on the degree of socio-economic development, industrialization, and associated social and lifestyle factors, the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer mortality will vary from state to state and even within different sections/areas of the same state/countries.
The common man always has a concern in his mind about the reasons/factors associated with the disease and it is very important to make him/her understand the disease pathogenesis in the most lucid way. The problem with scientific information is its dissemination. It becomes difficult for non-scientific people or an average reader to understand it fully, thus falling prey to unsolicited information available through the web. The problem multiplies in the era of social media and forwarded messages. A lot of fake information about the causes, treatment, and its effects are generated and it reaches millions of people in the shortest time. So the menace is to be fought at various fronts. If we look at the origin of most cancers, it lies in the gastro-intestinal axis and Lungs. Right from mouth to rectum, the GI-axis is highly prone to cancers, owing to our food and other lifestyle habits. It is a known fact that eating trans-fatty acids and other unsaturated fats increase these chance of these malignancies. The food categorised in “junk food” needs to be taken seriously. Packaged food was invented for remote areas and soldiers who used to work on borders and inhospitable terrains, where food was a luxury rather than a need. The addition of artificial flavours and preservatives pose a serious concern as most of them have potential health hazards and may be carcinogenic. Sodium Benzoate is one such preservative which is banned in countries like USA and Europe but is still legally permissible in India, albeit to a certain ppm. Due to the rise in the economic status of people, packed food has found its way in our daily diet.
The lack of awareness about the harmful effects of packed food, it’s aggressive marketing, and easy availability makes it difficult to convince people particularly kids against it. Another dietary concern is food adulteration and the use of pesticides in farms and gardens. The most common foods adulterated in India are milk products, which have a large consumer base. Almost all the fruits and vegetables consumed presently are grown with the help of pesticides and insecticides. These chemicals are known carcinogens and some chemicals like DDT has wrenched havoc on biota, to the extent, it had to be banned. These chemicals get deposited in the animals bodies and thus reach human gut. The pesticides has also polluted our water bodies and water table. It is one of the biggest causative factor for the high incidence of Cancers. The other critical factors associated with lifestyle are eating/chewing Gutka and Alcohol consumption which directly irritates the mucosa lining and interferes in normal bodily processes. Another notable cancer type, which mainly effects the people from Kashmir Valley is Gastric Cancer and recent reports highlight the drinking of salty tea, sun-dried vegetables, consumption of red meat, and spicy foods as one of the main culprits. You will be surprised to know that Jammu and Kashmir is the Lung Cancer capital of India and Cigarette Smoking and Hukkah are major reasons for it.
As soon as we mention the names of twin Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, people will relate it to the bombing by USA in World War II and readers must be anxious to know the reason of its reference here. The radiation released during the blast not only killed millions of people but its effect is still transcended to the multiple generations because radiation damages DNA and once germ cell DNA is damaged, it can pass through various generations causing a multitude of diseases particularly Cancer. The cellular phone we carry in our pockets is one such radiation-emitting device. The scientific research links the use of mobile phones to brain tumours and retinoblastoma.
In summary, lifestyle modification is critical in mitigating the incidence of Cancer. A healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet (less of processed/ packed/ ready to eat food products), exercise/yoga are most critical steps which can delay the disease. The fruits and vegetables should be thoroughly washed before eating and use of mobile phone should be reduced. It is difficult to conclude that these steps will stop the progression of cancer but a gradual modification in lifestyle will surely cut the feed for cancer cells.
(The author is a Cancer biologist and Principal Coordinator of ICMR-CAR, School of Biotechnology, SMVDU, Katra.)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
Follow our WhatsApp channel
