CHENNAI:In an encouraging sign for oncologists as well as patients, the Cancer Institute, Adyar (WIA) has found out that the survival rate for many type of common cancers is increasing.
According to statistics put out by the institute, the five and 10 year (post-detection) survival rates for breast cancer is 71 and 62.50 per cent respectively, while the figures on cervix cancer is 70.30 and 63.40 per cent. Cervical (25 per cent) and breast cancers (23.20 per cent) are the most common forms of the ailment among women.
The prevalence figures of cervix and breast cancer have reversed in the recent years, which is because of the change in socio-economic and reproductive profile among women. The numbers reveal that lung cancer among men is increasing, while it is decreasing in women. Similar are the figures on mouth cancers. This, doctors said, is because of the continuing practice of smoking and chewing tobacco among men. On the other hand, esophageal cancer has decreased. Large bowel cancer, however, has increased among both men and women, which indicated a change in dietary habits.
Causing concerns among experts, the detection of cancer at the early stages remains abysmally low, ranging between 3 and 11 per cent among common cancers, making it clear that there is a pressing need for more awareness about cancer. Over 80 per cent of the cases were detected only at an advanced stage. In Chennai, 5,700 new cancers are registered per year in the ratio of 110 women to 100 men, said Dr R Swaminathan, assistant director and head of the Biostatistics and Cancer Registry department of WIA.
Meanwhile, Dr V Shanta, chairperson of the Cancer Institute, flagged off a rally organised by the institution as part of an awareness campaign on World Cancer Day on the Marina beach on Wednesday.
