JAIPUR: A recent study titled ‘The burden of cancers and their variations across the states of India: The Global Burden of Disease Study 1990–2016,’ published in Lancet, has revealed that the death rate due to cancer is higher among females compared to their male counterparts, despite the incidence rate of cancer being higher among males as compared to females.

The study was conducted with the support of the Indian Council of Medical Research, Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

In the state, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women resulting in death, and stomach cancer is the second most common cancer among women, followed by cervical, pharynx, colon and rectum cancer, gallbladder and biliary tract cancer, lung, ovarian, esophageal, lip and oral cavity cancer.

Among men, the most common cancer resulting in death is pharynx cancer, and stomach cancer is the second most common cancer, followed by lung, lip and oral cavity cancer, colon and rectum cancer, esophageal, larynx, liver, prostate cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Dr Deepak Kumar Shukla, Consultant, Medical Oncology, cancer care of a private hospital stated that if detected early, cancer can be cured through surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and targeted therapy. He added that the choice of therapy depends on the stage and biology of the disease, and the general condition of the patient.

Doctors claim that there is a need to identify symptoms for timely diagnosis of cancer. Cancer can cause symptoms like changes in skin, breast, lump on or under the skin, cough that does not go away, difficult or painful urination, weight gain or loss of unknown cause, abdominal pain. If a person has above symptoms lasting for a couple of weeks, he/she must visit a doctor so that the condition can be diagnosed and treatment can be started as early as possible. Usually early cancer does not cause pain. If there are symptoms, one must visit a doctor immediately, mentioned Dr Prashant Sharma, a Surgical Oncologist at a private hospital.

A city-based hospital’s Radiation Oncologist Dr Nidhi Patni mentioned that the number of cancer patients is rapidly rising. About 11.57 lakh new cancer patients are registered every year across the country.