Towards better awareness

With the theme ‘We Can and I Can’ set for this year’s World Cancer Day, experts in the city intend to spread awareness and increase the levels of general education about the disease. Medical professionals are unanimous in suggesting “Prevention is better even in the case of Cancers!” Says Dr Chilukuri Srinivas, Senior Radiation Oncologist, Yashoda Hospitals, Somajiguda, “The idea behind such health days is to create awareness in most cases and also to reinforce the concerns around an already known disease burden. Tobacco use, chemical pollution, unhealthy diet and exposure to radiation are giving way to cancer diseases is a known fact.”

“But on occasions like World Cancer Day, we aspire to bring forth a wake - up call for people to fight before the disease starts hitting them. Proper diet management and regular screening tests, early detection, accurate diagnosis, and effective treatment help increase cancer survival rates. These will also reduce suffering and with regular follow ups one can keep the problems away,” he said.

According to Dr Bharat Waswani, Senior Medical Oncologist, Yashoda Hospitals, Secunderabad, “Estimated that between 70 per cent of cancer related deaths occur in the first year after it is diagnosed. Cancer deaths can be perfectly preventable if only we diagnosed in first and early second stages. For this it is important to undergo simple health screening tests comprising mammograms, Pap test plus an HPV test and blood tests.

A major issue with the disease is that people do not realize the symptoms of cancer until it is too late and most cancer victims do not seek help until the disease has reached a more advanced stage which makes treatment and recovery harder. Early diagnosis and treatment for cancer disease can significantly delay, timely care can save lives.”