Stigma adds to cancer's bite in India

By Sanket Upadhyay, Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi, Mar 2 (IANS) Ignorance and consequent social stigma are adding to cancer's deadly bite in India, say top oncologists. "The disease cancer is less harmful than the social stigma attached with accepting it in public," said Delhi Medical Association (DMA) president S.C.L. Gupta. At an oncologists' meet here, Gupta said that while patients were scared to admit they suffered from the disease for fear of social stigma, people around them often had grave misconceptions about cancer. "Many patients ask me whether they could sit with others or not after detection of cancer cells. This is the biggest myth in the minds of people," said Gupta, emphasising that cancer was not communicable. After road accidents and heart diseases, cancer is the leading cause of mortality in India in the age group of 15-45, with almost 700,000 new cases reported every year. But doctors fear that thousands more cases go unreported. "Cancer is curable. It by no means spells the end of life for any individual," said Gupta, announcing that an oncologists' seminar would be held here on March 23. But doctors said curing cancer was easier if its was detected in its first or second stage. Said Sameer Kaul, a cancer surgeon at Apollo Hospital: "Around 80 percent of victims seek treatment only at the third or fourth stage. By this time, it becomes hard to control the cancer cells and little can be done." He said by creating an informed and educated society, people could help themselves by getting a thorough check-up if they suspected there was something wrong. If such a test was done in time, cancer could be detected early and cured. "The primary symptoms of development of cancer cells are coughing for more than a week and blood with a person's excreta. The patient should immediately visit a medical practitioner for thorough diagnosis," said Kaul. While oral and lung cancer are rampant among men, primarily because of smoking and tobacco chewing, breast cancer in women is on the rise, especially in the urban areas, said the specialists. Doctors also admitted that in a poor country like India, people often could not afford expensive treatment for cancer. Sadhna Sharma, 43, a cured cancer patient, narrated how she battled ill health and pessimism to escape death. "Everyone had lost hope. Doctors said only a miracle could save me. Even my family had given up. But I didn't quiver. I believe that at such a moment, will power in an individual can help," said Sharma, who at one point was told she had only six months to live. "Patients must not forget that doctors are human beings. It is just that they know more about the disease. They should have the basic grooming to ensure the well-being of a patient rather than simply giving up." --Indo-Asian News Service