Dr Jem KalathilSenior ConsultantSurgical OncologistAster Medcity, Kochi
As we move into 2018, our modern life style is creating
havoc in the health scene. This is significant since we as a society is sill
under a myth regarding the Kerala model of health care. The situation is
alarming even though our health care indices are still the best in the country.
Move towards a digital era has brought with it all the perils of unhealthy life
style. Most alarming is the fact that, at the drop of a hat, we are forcing even
infants to watch tabs and the idiot box incessantly in the guise of feeding them
and pacifying them. We are thus forgoing any chance of recovery for another
generation purely for our comfort.
Currently we are effected by severe diseases linked to unhealthy life styles
which account to cancer, diabetes, cardio vascular diseases significantly
influence the cost for health care systems. February 4 th is marked as
international
World Cancer Day. The prime objective of such a day is to raise
awareness of cancer encourage its prevention, detection treatment. From
2016- 2018 this is taking place under the tag line ‘’We can I can’’ This is to
explore how every one as a collective or individuals can do their part to reduce
the global burden of cancer. This is a very relevant concept in our present
situation
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death world wide data
shows correlation with main life style factors like tobacco consumption, harmful
alcohol use, sedentary life style, unhealthy diet obesity. It is obvious that
these are the hallmarks of an executive lifestyle. On one side we have
urbanization of a predominantly rural lifestyle with limited access to health
care and paradoxically on the other hand we have a highly affluent executive
community who do not have the time to care for themselves
According to the ICMR, the premier research body in India, the total number of
new cancer cases annually is around 14.5 lakhs the figure is likely to reach
over 17 lakhs in 2020. Around 7 lakh people are expected to succumb to the
disease annually. The most worrying factor in all these statistics is that only
12.5 % of patients come for treatment in the early stage of disease.
To put things in perspective, among females,
Breast Cancer tops the list among
the males it is mouth cancer. We have about 1.5 lakh of new breast cancer every
year.
Cancer of the lung is the next with about 1.14 lakhs.
Cancer of the
uterine cervix is the third most common cancer with about 1 lakh new cases.
Another worrying fact is that Cancers associated with the use of tobacco
accounts for about 30 % of all cancers. One in eight Indians is likely to
develop cancer in the life time. And that is why I want to share to you about
the role of life style in Cancer prevention strategies.
The emphasis is not to live longer but to live better. Primary prevention, which
in many situations is a cultural choice, is one of the main tools to obtain
concrete durable results
Data shows that 3 million life years free of cancer could be gained within 10
years over 10 million life years in twenty years through integrated,
preventive measures aimed to address the risk factors mentioned above.
We have to re orient ourselves to think about education before medicating
ourselves and to take care of our health before spending a fortune in treating
disease. To promote healthy life style means to promote a good life in terms of
quality which means to make years of our lives enjoyable.
International strategies on life style intervention aim for 10 % relative
reduction in the use of alcohol insufficient inactivity, 30 % reduction in
salt intake prevalence of current tobacco use in persons aged above 15 years.
If you look at the common cancers,
Breast Cancer reflects the
prevalence of risk factors associated with affluence socio economic status
including parity, age of menarche menopause, obesity, tobacco smoking
alcohol consumption.
High rates of lung cancer patterns reflect the current phase of
lung cancer epidemic due to past smoking exposure.
World Cancer Day is mainly influenced by diet with high intake of red processed meat, obesity,
sedentary life style. The risk of
Prostrate Cancer increases
with tobacco usage, alcohol consumption, wrong diet absence of physical
exercise.
Alcohol is an important public health problem with detrimental
health social consequences for the drinker, people around the drinker
society at large. It causes cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx,
oesophagus, colon, rectum, liver, breast pancreas. Alcohol causes cancer
through the production of acetaldehyde which is a toxic metabolite. What is
alarming for me is that alcohol related social issues and drink driving has
still not become socially unacceptable like in the west
Tobacco usage and smoking is another bane of executive life
style. It is the single largest cause of cancer in the world is the leading
cause of preventable death in the world. One person dies every 6 seconds from
tobacco related diseases, what worries me most is the that we have six lakhs
victims of second hands smoking. One out of four of all cancer deaths are caused
by smoking. 95 % of lung cancers are due to tobacco smoking.
Coming to nutrition, physical activity obesity, WHO has estimated that
insufficient intake of fruit vegetable causes approximately 14 % of deaths
from gastro intestinal tumors. Junk food brands and unhealthy fast food culture
has made significant inroads and has become a way of life in our society
especially among executives. Proper diet will lower the risk of
cancer of the digestive system by 30%. Physical activity may lower the risk of
colon cancer by 20% breast cancer by 30%. Inappropriate diet causes about
1/3rd of all cancer death world wide. Diet is linked to cancers of the lung,
stomach, colon, oropharynx, oesophagus and mouth. Even though a typical
executive is aware of the pitfalls of an unhealthy lifestyle, it is often
difficult to break away from well established social systems.
When strategies are planned to combat this social menace of smoking we have to
be innovative. In addition to the existing strategies in controlling the usage
of tobacco like awareness programs, pricing and taxation to decrease the
availability of tobacco products, we have to strive toward a lasting social and
cultural change. More awareness should be given to the non smoker regarding the
huge health impacts they suffer in the presence of a smoker. Public smoking
should become socially unacceptable especially in front of children. The
implementation of ban on public smoking is patchy at best. Strategies addressing
these issues should be initiated integrated with school health programs.
Children should be given a chance to proudly resist smoking at an early age as
an informed choice and should be rewarded socially.
Alcohol related issues is more complex. Personally I am of the school that
forcible ban on alcohol in a democratic society is not practical. I believe that
systems should be in place to prevent spurious liquor and drugs. Consistent and
stringent measures should be in place to tackle alcohol related antisocial
behavior, domestic issues and crimes. Although abstinence from alcohol should be
the aim, clear awareness should be ensured on the harmful use of alcohol.
Policies should be innovative to make tobacco alcohol usage socially
unacceptable especially in an executive lifestyle
Dietary interventions to tackle the menace of junk food should be novel and
consistent. I believe that in addition to the current strategies in place,
emphasis should be on catching them young. Healthy eating habits should become
entrenched in the child from school days. Parents have a critical role in
ensuring healthy diets from infancy. I strongly believe that children should
have the opportunity to make an informed choice at later ages regarding their
diet. This approach would have long term benefits in the molding a healthy
generation. Also a healthy holistic lifestyle should be offered incorporating
physical activity, yoga and meditation from childhood aimed at social and
spiritual well being
In addition, children could be used as a corrective force for their parents
health. They can exert a critical and significant push to make parents quit
smoking, alcohol and take better care of their own health.
Along with these long term strategies, a robust cancer awareness program should
be in place for employees highlighting the perils of an executive life style.
Institutional policies should be directed to provide and reward efforts to
change to a healthy life style within the system. Early detection and cancer
screening activities should be made mandatory in institutions since they provide
a more viable economic model in the long term.
More importantly there should be a cultural change in the mindset of the
physician community as well to combat lifestyle diseases and cancer screening.
These should be a routine practice across specialties to educate and nudge every
patient, towards a better healthy life style. Screening programs for life style
diseases and cancer should be made mandatory at various points in one’s career
as appropriate. Health insurance models should include such screening than
opting to pay for the treatment of advanced disease.
Article source: https://www.webindia123.com/health/article.asp?a_no=3445&article=Cancer+-+Alarming+Facts