Hyderabad: Lung cancer, the second most common kind of cancer, is also recognized as one of the leading causes of cancer death in men and women worldwide. To spread awareness among people about it, the month of November is observed as Lung Cancer Awareness Month. A large number of people lose their lives globally due to lung cancer. In the United States, approximately 218,500 people are affected by lung cancer each year, out of which about 142,000 die from the disease. Experts and various health organizations agree that it is one of the most common cancers in people in developing countries.
Every year, November is observed as Lung Cancer Awareness Month with the aim of spreading awareness among people about the seriousness of lung cancer and the need to understand its symptoms and make efforts for its prevention in time. This year, among other events, people have been urged to use #LungCancerAwarenessMonth to share their experiences and be a part of this awareness campaign on social media platforms.
According to a report by India Against Cancer, about 67,000 new cases of lung cancer are reported every year in India, of which there are more than 48,000 men and more than 19,000 women. The matter of concern is that about 63,000 of these victims succumb to death. The number of people who die due to lung cancer worldwide accounts for 18.2% of the deaths due to all types of cancer. At the same time, according to the data of the National Cancer Registry, in the year 2020, the estimated number of lung cancer patients in India in men was 679,421, while in women it was 712,758.
Experts believe that although it is difficult to identify the early stages of lung cancer, but if its symptoms are detected and treatment is started on time, then its risk can be avoided to a great extent. Generally, people think that only smoking and pollution are the causes of lung cancer. It is true that apart from pollution, the cause of lung cancer in most cases is excessive consumption of cigarettes, bidis or hookahs or exposure to the smoke produced by them for a long time.
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But lung cancer can also occur due to many other reasons, of which heredity is also one. Apart from these, radiation therapy or certain types of complex therapies or side effects of a disease, carcinogen substances, senility, old age and obesity etc. can also be responsible factors for this disease. The following symptoms may be seen during the early stages of lung cancer:
- Persistent cough.
- Difficulty in breathing.
- Hoarse voice.
- Chest and abdominal pain.
- Blood in cough.
- Weight loss.
- Aching bones.
- Headache.
Doctors say that even mild symptoms associated with any disease or problem should not be ignored. If these symptoms are visible for a long time or even after normal treatment, then a thorough diagnosis becomes necessary.
Lung Cancer Awareness Month is being observed for more than two decades now and organizations related to lung cancer established in the country and abroad along with health organizations are also associated with it. It is a worldwide campaign that, along with spreading awareness in this context, provides a platform to discuss and diagnose the disease and establish new collaborations.
Significantly, due to a large number of people suffering from this disease, they are not able to start their treatment on time, because in most cases the initial symptoms of this disease are very common and due to this, there is also a possibility of not contracting this disease. Usually, by the time the obvious symptoms of this disease start showing, cancer has reached an advanced stage.
According to some statistics related to lung cancer in India, one out of every sixty-eight men is at risk of getting lung cancer. But out of the total cases of patients suffering from this type of cancer, about 45% of the patients get information about this disease at the fourth stage. Only 10-15% per cent of the patients are such who are able to get information about the occurrence of this disease in the initial stage of the disease.
To avoid similar situations, to make people aware and alert about the minor symptoms of this complex disease and people who may be considered susceptible to this disease due to family history, any disease, treatment, environment or other reasons, one of the main objectives of this event is to motivate them to take special care of their health and to keep getting checked from time to time.
