Marking the World Digestive Day on May 29, a campaign to raise awareness towards liver cancer was launched by at Innovative Clinics, Madhapur recently. While 2012 carried the theme ‘From heartburn to constipation – common gastrointestinal symptoms in the community, impact and interpretation’ the present year looks at addressing the incidence of liver cancer with an aim to ‘Act today, save your life tomorrow – liver cancer awareness, prevention, detection, treatment.’ The day has been observed since 1958 on the date WGO was founded.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO) liver cancer accounted for 7 lakh deaths in 2008. Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) are the major causes of liver cancer as they account for 78 per cent of instances. Gastroenterologist Dr. Kiran Peddi of Innovative Clinics announced that posters carrying the message will be placed at major thoroughfares in the city. “Liver cancer can be completely cured if we identify HBV and HCV infections in early stages of the cancer. Anybody can be effected by this disease irrespective of their age and gender. However a vaccine against hepatitis B has been available since 1982 and was the first vaccine against a major human cancer. We can identify the disease by performing some tests. But prevention is always better than cure,” said Dr. Kiran Peddi.
“Jaundice is not a disease in itself but a symptom of many diseases. It can be cured by using tablets regularly or by taking injections,” he added.