Dedicating one day to a disease is only a strategy to bring the focus lights on that particular condition, in an effort to push forward the agenda of prevention, early diagnosis and treatment. Essential to this strategy is “prevention” and increasingly these days, that means lifestyle modifications.
Never so true as for cancer – against which the world geared up together on Thursday. T. G. Sagar, Dean and Director, Cancer Institute, says, “Prevention and control” is the key word of emphasis. Prevention includes proper screening techniques and educating the lay-person about the ways to detect the cancerous symptoms.”
The problem itself is huge: As per the recent updates it is estimated 84 million people will die of cancer between 2005 and 2015. There are also an estimated 10 million new cases every year.
Common causes which predispose a person to cancer include improper eating habits, no physical activity, exposure to carcinogens, radiation, certain viruses like the papilloma virus, smoking and alcohol addiction, Dr. Sagar explains. The results of a study conducted among 100 men with gastric cancer by the Madras Medical College and the nutrition department of Ethiraj College were pretty revealing as far as the dos and don'ts go, says S.M. Chandramohan, head, Surgical Gastroenterology, MMC.
Ninety-seven per cent of the patients had the habit of reusing oil for cooking, with 77 per cent reheating the oil more than three times. About 88 per cent were non vegetarian; 78 per cent were consuming close to 30 gm of salt per day; 74 per cent were taking 20 gm of chilly; 73 per cent were smokers; 37 per cent chewed tobacco and 33 per cent were drinking daily.
Significantly, about 79 per cent did not have any exercise and a whopping 88 per cent did not consume fresh fruits and vegetables daily. “We studied gastric cancer as it is the second commonest cancer among men, and the most common among women if you exclude the reproductive organs,” Dr. Chandramohan adds. The results of the study are a clear indication of healthy living options to avoid cancer.
In an August 2010 publication, the peer-reviewed journal BioMed Central carried a systematic review that also quoted existing studies to show that ‘there is increasing evidence that cancer patients (e.g., breast, colon, and prostate cancer, hematological malignancies) may benefit from physical exercise programmes in terms of improvement in fitness levels, physical activity..'
Dr. Sagar reinforces the demand for abolishing the carcinogenic agent – tobacco. Tobacco has the propensity to cause cancers in the mouth and lung, besides affecting nearly all the other organs in the body. “Protection against harmful ultra-violet rays which can destruct the normal tissues making them cancerous, healthy eating habits, regular physical activity and preventing, or taking care of infections is essential,” he adds.
