Cancer occurs due to abnormal proliferation of cells in the body. The primary factor driving the formation of cancer cells is the mutation or alteration of the cell’s genetic material. Although cancer can occur in anyone, there are certain differences in the incidence of types of cancer between men and women. It’s important that the cancers are diagnosed when they are in nascent stage so that treatment could yield high cure rate and minimize morbidity associated with cancer.

Common cancers among women include:

1. Breast cancer: Screening in the form of mammogram is recommended to all women, to pick up the disease in nascent stages when the person is asymptomatic. The disease manifests as painless lump in the breast, skin changes, nipple discharge, and lump in the axilla. Diagnosis is made by imaging (diagnostic mammogram) and confirmed by a biopsy.

Also Read: Breast cancer : One in every five women in India carry anomalies in breasts 

2. Cervical cancer: Screening in the form of PAP smear is recommended to diagnose the condition in early stages. The disease manifests as irregular menses, intermenstrual bleeding (i.e., bleeding in between the menses cycle), bleeding after sexual intercourse, foul smelling vaginal discharge. The disease is initially identified by a PAP smear. Positive results are followed with colposcopy and biopsy.

Commonly occurring cancers irrespective of sex include:

1. Oropharyngeal cancer: Common among tobacco chewers. There’s no specific screening test. Disease is usually picked up by a routine dental and oral cavity exam. If symptoms arise, there could be painless ulcer, soreness of mouth, lump in the neck, difficulty swallowing. Diagnosis is confirmed by biopsy of the lesion.

2. Lung cancer: Usually arises in long term smokers. Symptoms include long standing cough, coughing up blood, weight loss and fatigue, chest pain, recurrent chest infections. Diagnosis is done by imaging of the chest and confirmed by a biopsy.

Also Read: Lung cancer : A significant risk factor is cigarette smoking

3. Prostate cancer: Usually asymptomatic in initial stages. Symptoms, if present include urinary urgency, urinary frequency, and pain during urination, passing blood in urine. Sometimes disease is diagnosed in advanced stage by which time, metastases would have occurred. The symptoms of metastases (distant spread) include bone pain (especially the back), swelling of legs, weight loss. If the disease is suspected, the doctor will suggest DRE (Digital Rectal Exam) to assess prostate, PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test, imaging in the form of MRI, and biopsy of the prostate.

4. Stomach cancer: Usually asymptomatic in initial stages. Symptoms start when the disease has already progressed. Symptoms include vomiting, abdominal pain, indigestion, loss of appetite and weight, passing black coloured stools. Diagnosis is picked up by the endoscopy and is confirmed by biopsy. The patient may be subjected to imaging to stage the disease, so that management is planned accordingly.

5. Blood cancer: Common in men than in women. There are various types of blood cancers of which lymphoma is common. Symptoms include swelling of the lymph nodes, long standing fever, night sweats, bleeding from gums and weight loss. Diagnostic tests include blood film and visualization under microscope, blood counts and imaging studies. This is followed by procedures like biopsy of lymph node and/or bone marrow aspiration and biopsy.

Dr. Sudarshan S

Consultant Physician, Bengaluru

The post Commonly occurring cancers and how to spot them? appeared first on Health Vision.

With the onset of winters and festivals around the corner, the air quality index  (AQI) is plunging each day in Delhi and other nearby areas. The poor air quality is causing many health issues like throat irritation, sneezing, and coughing in almost all the age group. Apart from respiratory issues, exposure to air pollution also gives a rise to cardiovascular disorders, fatigue, headache and anxiety since people are also skeptical to visit hospitals due to the coronavirus pandemic, they are mostly adhering to home-based remedies and various green teas to keep their health on check and strengthen their immunity system.

However, it is suggested that whenever somebody is stepping outside, wearing a mask that fits your face is essential as it will not only protect from COVID-19 infection but also will prevent inhaling harmful pollutant matters. It is quite likely that you will experience respiratory illnesses like cough, cold and congestion if you don’t adhere to precautions. We also need to introduce certain lifestyle changes to fight with the air pollution. One of such amendments is drinking green tea, which has become a staple of health because of its numerous benefits. One of these benefits is that it helps fight many kinds of damages that pollution does to our bodies.

Why one should take green tea?

The time we live in undergoes more environmental issues like global warming and rising air pollution than any other generation. The catechin content of green tea acts as a savior to fight the ill-effects of pollution in our body. The catechins are antioxidants, which fight and prevent cell damage. We all know, taking antioxidants regularly reduces the risks of oxidative damage, which would otherwise result in diseases such as various forms of cancer.

The same applies to many kinds of effects that pollution has on our bodies. In case of air pollution our lungs get oxidized resulting in damage to the respiratory system. But, Green tea’s antioxidants fight to reverse this damage. Even the presence of EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), a major polyphenolic compound, is found to exhibit a wide range of therapeutic properties, including:

• anti-oxidant
• anti-inflammatory
• anti-atherosclerosis
• anti-myocardial infarction
• anti-diabetes

Lemon and ginger green tea

Ginger is excellent for controlling cough, congestion and cold. Ginger is a natural antiviral which helps to fight against illness and bacteria that causes cold. Ginger can heal from nausea and reduce congestion. Lemon helps in strengthening the immune system. As lemons are rich in Vitamin C, this drink shields the body from disease-causing microbes and helps the body fight back without antibiotics.

Green Tea and Skin

Air pollution is not just a health concern. It is rapidly becoming a beauty issue not only in India but also globally. Toxic fumes from vehicles and industries are the primary cause of skin ageing in polluted cities. New research shows that air pollution causes wrinkles and premature ageing. Many studies suggest that both drinking green tea and applying it extracts can have benefits for your skin. Green tea extracts help with acne and help your skin look younger, but it also has the potential for helping to prevent melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers.

Mr. Sundeip Bhatia
Business Head
India Shilpa Medicare Ltd

The post Air pollution – combat its effect with green tea appeared first on Health Vision.

A 38-year-old patient visited hospital with complaints of pain in left side chest and double vision. During the process of understanding his case history, the patient revealed that he is a chain smoker and has been feeling bouts of chest pain since few months. Initially, he had consulted a doctor elsewhere for chest pain & was asked to undergo ECG and ECHO and had ruled out cardiac problems.

He was treated for gastric issues. Post his treatment, after 8 months, the patient complained about repeated chest pain and double vision. To understand and evaluate his condition better, he was asked him to undergo MRI brain scan. The scan results revealed a tumor in his brain and further tests showed lung cancer. Since lung cancer was not treated at the right time, it had spread to his brain. As an immediate action, radiotherapy and other treatment was done which helped in the control of the growth of tumor.

Continuous smoking habit led to lung cancer:

In this case his continuous smoking habit led to lung cancer and the delay in diagnosis had resulted in spreading of the tumor to other parts of the body. Lung cancer spreads very fast and it is difficult to understand the symptoms of the same. When upper lung tumors compress nerves and arteries, the patient can present with pain or weakness in the arm or change in voice. When it  involves covering of lung (pleura), they present with chest pain. Left side chest pain is not always related to heart or gastritis. It is important for people to take necessary steps when they get these symptoms as it could lead to severe health issues.

Lung cancer in India is high-mortality cancer due to late stage diagnosis. This has resulted in treating and curing only 15 percent of cases of lung cancer at the time of diagnosis. Lung Cancer also can strike you at young age. 80% of lung cancer typically present late in stage 3 or 4 as there are often no warning symptoms shown.

Hence, those who smoke are always at a higher risk of developing these cancers and sometimes the first presentation is itself a lung cancer. Recently, we are seeing many young people also presenting with lung cancer which is increasing at an alarming rate.

Also Read: WHY HIGHER CANCER CASES ARE REPORTED IN INDIA?

Dr. Rajashekhar C Jaka
Surgical Oncologist
BR Life SSNMC Hospital
Rajarajeshwari Nagar
Bengaluru

The post Why Lung Cancer is turning into an epidemic in India? appeared first on Health Vision.

Why higher cancer cases are reported in India? Poor lifestyle habits main cause of higher cancer cases among Indians. particularly, higher incidences of cancer cases reported in women than men.

Poor lifestyle habits have aided the prevalence of cancer among Indians and higher incidences of cancer cases reported in women than men. Increasing awareness can make India cancer-free.A lifestyle which involves excessive smoking and drinking, lack of physical exercise (leading to obesity and hormone imbalance) and a poor diet is the culprit for the rising number of cancer cases. World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on cancer stated that cancer will claim 9.6 million lives in the world this year. India will account for 8.17 per cent of the same. Another report by the Lancet reinforced the same saying cancer is India’s second biggest killer after heart disease.

Adopting good lifestyle practices to prevent non-communicable diseases, particularly cancer is the need of the hour. It is necessary to ensure and have a balanced diet and engage in regular physical activity.  Most diets are marred with preservatives and added flavours. A lot of hidden carcinogens are entering human bodies. Tobacco consumption, alcohol intake and substance abuse has increased, leaving the body weak and the immune system vulnerable. Lung cancer is also occurring in people who have never smoked as well. Statistics reveal that 15% of patients diagnosed with lung cancer have no history of tobacco use. This could be because of exposure to second hand smoke, asbestos exposure, air pollution (outdoor and indoor), and exposure to radon gas, diesel exhaust fumes or a genetic predisposition.

There are two prominent trends that have been observed in the last year. Firstly, breast cancer incidence has gone up by 39.1% over the last decade, making it the most prevalent type of cancer. The second trend indicates a high rate of re – occurrence or dual occurrence of cancer. A survivor’s risk of getting a new cancer diagnosis is 14% greater than someone who never had cancer. This is a worrying fact but to counter it, we need to create awareness about regular check-ups and counselling even after one is completely cured.

In India, majority of cancers are diagnosed once they have advanced to stage three or stage four. This is because periodic screenings and early detection are not practiced stringently. In addition to this many hospitals are not properly equipped to provide adequate treatment to cancer patients. Therefore efforts are focused on ensuring palliative care and therapy as these ultimately lead to the most favourable outcomes.

There is no increase of incidence from 2018-2019. However population explosion and pollution increase, exposure to carcinogens may increase the number and incidence of the diseases. Early detection can also contribute. In males oral cancer, lung cancer, prostate and Gastro-Intestinal (GI) cancers can be seen as early as the age of 25 years. In females breast cancer, cervix cancer, ovarian and uterine cancer and oral cancers are common from age 35 onwards. Lifestyle factor contributions are tobacco and alcohol, junk food, stress and lack of exercise. India accounts for high number of oral cancer amongst young due to tobacco, alcohol. 30-35% cases are in this group. Similarly lung cancer incidence is high due to smoking habits. It is diagnosed late due to use of antibiotics and anti-tubercular treatment for chest symptoms. Northern India has incidence of gallbladder cancer due to proximity of sub Himalaya Ganges. Gall stones are also contributory. Pollutants in water is one of causes.

Lung and breast cancer are leading worldwide with approximately 2.1 million diagnoses estimated in 2018. Colorectal cancer (1.8 million cases, 10.2% of the total) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer, prostate cancer is the fourth (1.3 million cases, 7.1%). Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. Other terms used are malignant tumours and neoplasms. The defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries. Between 30–50% of cancers can currently be prevented. This can be accomplished by avoiding risk factors and implementing existing evidence-based prevention strategies.

Dr Kapil Kumar
MBBS, MS, FICS
Director and HOD, Surgical Oncology
Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh
New Delhi -110088
Ph: 011 4530 2222

Dr Mandeep S Malhotra
MBBS, MS Head- Breast
Fortis Flt. Lt. Rajan Dhall Hospital, Vasant Kunj

The post Why higher cancer cases are reported in India? appeared first on Health Vision.