New Delhi, 3 February: An increasing number of younger women in India have become susceptible
to breast cancer, according to medical experts who are blaming it on
changing lifestyles.
“We come across girls as young as 18 with breast cancer. Due to
urbanisation, the lifestyle of people has changed by 180 degrees and the
effect is visible. While the normal age of contracting breast cancer
was anywhere between 45 and 55 years a decade ago, it has become 35-45
years,” said Dr NK Pandey, cancer surgeon and managing director of Asian
Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS). Dr Pandey, who has been
selected for the Padma awards this year for his contribution in
medicine, said: “Breast cancer is now the most common cancer in most
cities in India, and the second most common cancer in the rural areas.”
In India, breast cancer accounts for 25 to 32 per cent of all
women-related cancers in all these cities, he added.
This implies, practically, one fourth (or even approaching one thirds) of all female cancer cases are breast cancers. In India, the average age of developing breast cancer has undergone a significant shift over the last few decades. An analysis of cancer rates between 1982 and 2005, as conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research, showed that 10 out of every 100,000 women living in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bangalore were diagnosed with breast cancer about 10 years ago, compared with 23 women per every 100,000 today.
According to a report, published in The Lancet, by 2020, 70 per cent of those suffering from cancer worldwide will be located in developing countries, with a fifth located in India.
Another recent global study, commissioned by GE Healthcare, estimated that by 2030, the incidence of new cases of breast cancer in India will increase from today’s figure of 115,000 to around 200,000 per year.
Currently, 40.4 per cent of India’s population is between the ages of 25 and 54 with nearly 30 per cent younger than 14 years. Given the existing trends in Indian society, girls within this younger age range will become prime candidates for developing breast cancer by 2030.
“Breast cancer can also be termed as a lifestyle disease, as late marriage, fewer children and declining trend of breast feeding are some causative factors, essentially due to urbanisation,” said Dr Anita Kant, breast cancer expert at AIMS. “Obesity, yet another lifestyle disease, is another cause,” she added.
According to Dr Pandey, “Cultural taboos only exacerbate the problem. Not only are Indian women generally reluctant to discuss their bodies, but they also often delay visits to doctors ~ perhaps due to ignorance or poverty ~ when they find something wrong. Discomfort with the process of diagnosis and treatment is an additional concern.”
Dr Kant said, “No one wants to talk about it. They’re worried their children won’t get married because of arranged marriages in this country. People think it’s in the family. Children are taught to lie to their prospective marriage partners.”(SNS)
This implies, practically, one fourth (or even approaching one thirds) of all female cancer cases are breast cancers. In India, the average age of developing breast cancer has undergone a significant shift over the last few decades. An analysis of cancer rates between 1982 and 2005, as conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research, showed that 10 out of every 100,000 women living in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bangalore were diagnosed with breast cancer about 10 years ago, compared with 23 women per every 100,000 today.
According to a report, published in The Lancet, by 2020, 70 per cent of those suffering from cancer worldwide will be located in developing countries, with a fifth located in India.
Another recent global study, commissioned by GE Healthcare, estimated that by 2030, the incidence of new cases of breast cancer in India will increase from today’s figure of 115,000 to around 200,000 per year.
Currently, 40.4 per cent of India’s population is between the ages of 25 and 54 with nearly 30 per cent younger than 14 years. Given the existing trends in Indian society, girls within this younger age range will become prime candidates for developing breast cancer by 2030.
“Breast cancer can also be termed as a lifestyle disease, as late marriage, fewer children and declining trend of breast feeding are some causative factors, essentially due to urbanisation,” said Dr Anita Kant, breast cancer expert at AIMS. “Obesity, yet another lifestyle disease, is another cause,” she added.
According to Dr Pandey, “Cultural taboos only exacerbate the problem. Not only are Indian women generally reluctant to discuss their bodies, but they also often delay visits to doctors ~ perhaps due to ignorance or poverty ~ when they find something wrong. Discomfort with the process of diagnosis and treatment is an additional concern.”
Dr Kant said, “No one wants to talk about it. They’re worried their children won’t get married because of arranged marriages in this country. People think it’s in the family. Children are taught to lie to their prospective marriage partners.”(SNS)