SRINAGAR, FEB 03: With World Cancer Day being observed on Sunday, over 60,000 cancer cases have been registered over the last five years in Jammu and Kashmir.
Every year, World Cancer Day is observed on February 04. While in Jammu and Kashmir, there has been a significant rise in cancer cases over the years.
Official figures available with Morning Kashmir reveal that J&K recorded over 60,000 cancer cases in the last five years, averaging 32 cases daily in the Union Territory.
Similarly, around 36,000 people died of cancer between 2018 to 2022 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Cancer arises from the transformation of normal cells into tumour cells in a multi-stage process that generally progresses from a pre-cancerous lesion to a malignant tumour. These changes are the result of the interaction between a person’s genetic factors and three categories of external agents, including:
Cancer is influenced by various factors, including ageing populations, sedentary lifestyles, cigarette usage, inadequate diet, and exposure to air pollution.
Various types of cancer, such as skin (Kangri cancer), lung, breast, rectum, stomach, prostate, liver, cervix, oesophagus, bladder, and blood, have been documented in the Kashmir valley.
Doctors say the elevated rates of cancer may stem from a combination of internal factors like genetics, mutations, hormonal influences, and compromised immune conditions, as well as external or environmental factors such as dietary habits, industrialization, population growth, and societal aspects.
While over five percent of cancer patients are children in Kashmir. Among them, leukaemia is the most common.
A doctor at SKIMS Soura said leukaemia is highly curable if detected early, and the survival rate is 80 percent.
“In Kashmir, many factors result in late detection majorly due to lack of awareness. Apart from this, many myths have created turmoil in people’s minds about childhood cancer. First and foremost, cancer is not the end of the world. Children with cancer can lead a normal childhood. Many children return to normal school life after treatment. In other cases, children and their families modify their lifestyle to achieve normalcy,” the doctor said.
The word ‘leukaemia’ literally means white blood, just like the disease where abnormal white blood is produced creating problems while compromising overall health.
