The 4th edition of ‘Apollo Hospitals’ Health of Nation Report’, released on World Health Day 2024, reportedly dubbed India the “cancer capital of the world”. As per statistics almost 14 lakh people in India had cancer in 2020, the number is expected to rise to 15.7 lakh by 2025, according to the report.
The most common cancers in India are breast, cervix, and ovarian cancer in women, and lung, mouth and prostate cancer in men. Disturbingly, cancer diagnoses occur at a younger age in India in comparison to other nations. Colon cancer, once associated predominantly with older individuals, is now reportedly increasingly affecting younger people. Late marriages, late age of pregnancy, obesity, increased alcohol consumption or smoking by females, and sedentary lifestyle have been responsible for increasing the incidence of breast and ovarian cancer in urban females.
Incidentally, the two primary risk factors for lung cancer in India are tobacco use and air pollution. Cancer is caused by certain changes to genes, the basic physical units of inheritance that control the way our cells function, especially how they grow and divide. The good news is that most cancers can be prevented. This can be achieved by maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, to stop smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation along with other lifestyle changes.
