Why is cancer on the rise in India?

India is a developing nation with one of the world’s most diverse populations and diets. Cancer rates in India are lower than in Western countries, but they are growing as the rural population migrates to the cities, life expectancy rises, and lifestyles shift. Oral and oesophagal cancer rates in India are among the highest in the world. Colorectal, breast, and lung cancer rates, on the other hand, are among the lowest.

“A new cancer study from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Bengaluru’s National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research (NCDIR) confirms the dramatic rise in cancer cases in India, predicting that it will rise by another 12% in the next five years. According to the ICMR and the National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research in Bengaluru, the total number of cancer cases in men in India is expected to hit 6.7lacks in 2020 and 7.6lacks in 2025.” Says Dr Sandeep Nayak, Surgical Oncologist in Bangalore, India.

Tobacco-related cancers are estimated to account for 27% of India’s overall cancer burden, despite the fact that tobacco and nicotine have strict norms in India. When we speak about the higher cancer incidence in India, it’s also important to note that cancer is a disease that mostly affects the elderly. Higher cancer rates are associated with longer life expectancy. Longer life expectancy is a major factor in India’s overall cancer incidence. People’s immune systems deteriorate as they age, and they are more vulnerable to cancer risks. Simply put, as we age, our bodies have more time to accumulate faults, and as the body accumulates more of these faults in our genes, the risk of cancer increases significantly.

Does specific cancer have specific reasons?

Cancer, like diabetes and heart disease, Oncologists are not always able to find a particular common cause; it is multifactorial. The rise in cancer cases in India can be attributed to a number of factors. A few of them are:

• Adoption of a western lifestyle
• poor eating habits,
• dairy (due to the use of rBGH, FSH, and LH in milk production),
• refined foods,
• food additives,
• non-vegetarian diets,
• chemical waste,
• constipation,
• lack of exercise.

Breast cancer cases are exacerbated by a poor diet, longer working hours, increasingly stressful lives, smoking, alcohol use, and contraceptive usage. Furthermore, women live longer than men, which increases their chances of developing cancer.

Common Signs and Symptoms

Anaemia, unbearable pains in every organ despite treatment, neuralgia, and unexpected loss of weight/strength FATIGUE-excessive exhaustion from little to no operation, lack of appetite, an unhealed wound in some part of the body for years, persistent constipation, chronic haemorrhages, hemoptysis, nagging cough, absolute bloated feeling, tiny bean-shaped glands in the throat, armpits, and other areas, painless tests, and so on.

• Constipation that is both chronic and serious
• Hormonal discord. After menopause, hormone therapy with steroids is used.
• Heavy asbestos contamination, emissions from industrial wastes, tobacco use, and/or smoking are all factors. Carcinogenic substances include pesticides, chlorine, fluoride, and msg.
• Allergies that haven’t healed, wounds/injuries caused by bacterial/viral/metabolic syndromes/diseases, and diseases that have blocked electricity.
• Promiscuity in the bedroom, Hetero-sex [not mono-sex] perverted anal/oral sex.
• Chronic Stress & Strain.
• Lack of exercise & ever-increasing obese bodies. Fatty liver, Eating junk food, red meat, diet soda.
• Breast cancer is linked to late marriages and births, as well as not breastfeeding the baby.
• A poor diet, especially one high in sugar. Type 1 diabetes (insulin-dependent) and Type 2 diabetes (tablet intake).
• If you continue to eat a lot of gluten, you can develop Celiac Disease and Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity.
• Dysbiosis refers to an imbalance of bacteria in the intestines.
• Low levels of vitamin D and C, as well as the minerals selenium and iodine, are the most common nutritional deficiencies.
• Chronic viral infections including hepatitis B and C can lead to liver cancer, and AIDS (caused by the HIV virus) can lead to a variety of cancers. The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that can cause cancer in the mouth, cervix, and vulva.
• Immunosuppressive medications are used to treat autoimmune disorders and transplant patients.

Early detection and prevention are essential

Another important explanation for the rapid increase in cancer cases is the availability of more cancer screening facilities, also in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Proper screenings and early detection often improve the chances of surviving the disease.

While we all know how important it is to live an active lifestyle in order to prevent cancer, no smoking, no chewing tobacco, avoiding processed foods, regular exercise, and, last but not least, meditation are some of the other non-negotiable laws. Although exact data on the effect of stress on the incidence of cancer is lacking, there is compelling evidence that stress-induced hypertension can cause havoc in the body.