'By 2016, Tamil Nadu will have 8% of India's new cancer cases'

'By 2016, Tamil Nadu will have 8% of India's new cancer cases'

About 88,847 new cancer cases are expected to be in Tamil Nadu by 2016, or 8% of the total number of cases in the country, said Dr Anita Ramesh, Medical Oncologist, Sri Ramachandra University.

At the inauguration of the 3rd edition of International Meeting on Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology organised by Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute on Friday, she said Indian Council of Medical Research data revealed that breast cancer would become the most common type of cancer in the country with an increase of 50-60% in the total cancer cases in women. "There will be 46,657 new cases in women and 42,190 cases in men. In 2011, there were 77,843 new cases in TN and by 2016, there will be 10,800 new cases. It is estimated that Uttar Pradesh will have the 1.86 lakh new cases by 2016, highest in the country," she added.

Dr Ramesh said, awareness about cancer, increase in accessible and affordable treatment facilities and increase in life span were the reasons behind the increase in new cancer cases.

"We do not have a set protocol for cancer care, unlike the US and the Europe. Cancer is not like any other chronic disease. It needs a different approach."

Dr Sankha Mitra of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals in the UK said developing cost-effective and evidence-based clinical care appropriate to Indian patients would help bring uniformity in the treatment offered.

Many experts said there was an acute shortage of experts when it comes to cancer care.

"India is a pharma superpower. But 80% of cancer patients are not diagnosed on time. In India, we have 0.65 doctors for every 1,000 individuals while it is 27 doctors for every 1,000 people in US and 49 doctors for every 1,000 in Russia," said Dr Somasundaram Subramanian, Director, Eurasian Federation of Oncology, Moscow and a cancer survivor.