Smoke free Shimla has rising cancer patients in hospital

Shimla: Mounting cases of cancer, especially lung cancer, has radiation oncologists worried even though the government no smoking campaign has been able to contain smoking in public places and create awareness about the menace.

Concerned about the rising number of cancer patients, RK Seem, head of the Radiotherapy department at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and hospital says, “incidence of cancer patients has been going up and we are getting about 1800 to 2000 fresh patients each year.”

To reduce the backlog of 6 to 8 weeks for availing radiation therapy at the centre, the department is awaiting the Atomic Energy Regulatory Boards approval for starting a second cobalt machine that has been installed.

Seem said that in 2009, there were 1843 new cancer patients recorded of whom 925 were female and 913 male patients.

Whereas incidence of lung cancer was highest among males followed by head and neck cancers, GIT gastro-intestine tract (GIT) and genitory-urinary tract, in females it was gynecological cancers, mainly cervix cancers followed by GIT and breast cancers, he said.Read Full Story