Women and the big C

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in India. Here, we bust common myths, and outline diagnosis, treatment and prevention strategies

- Puja Awasthi

According to the Global Burden of Disease study, cancer caused 8.3 per cent of the total deaths in India in 2016, almost double of what it did in 1990. As per the WHO Global Cancer Observatory estimates, 1.32 million new cancer cases and 0.85 million cancer-related deaths occurred in India in 2020.

According to the National Cancer Registry Programme, the most number of women with cancers are found in west India followed by the south. Northeast India reports the lowest numbers. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in urban India, while it is cervical cancer in rural India. The average age for women for these cancers ranges between 45 and 60 years. One in nine people in India is likely to get cancer, with women outnumbering men.

For this column, we delve into the complexities of cancer in Indian women.

Dr Mandeep Singh Malhotra is an oncologist with more than 20 years of clinical experience. Currently working as director, surgical oncology at CK Birla Hospital, Delhi, he completed his senior residency in the speciality at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi. He has done stints at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, UK, and the University of Pennsylvania, US. His various awards include the Young Scientist Award in 1992.

In layman terms: Cancer is a complex disease characterised by uncontrolled growth and division of abnormal cells. These cells originate within the body, not from external factors like bacteria, fungi, or viruses. Such growth disrupts normal cellular processes and can lead to the invasion of surrounding tissues and, in some cases, spread to other parts of the body through the bloodstream or the lymphatic system.