 Cancer prevention
Tiruchirappalli, Nov 14: Magsaysay award winner and oncologist, Dr V Shantha, has cautioned against excessive consumption of common salt as it could also cause cancer.
Apart from tobacco, people should avoid excessive use of common salt and salted dry fish and salted dry pickles, Shantha, chairperson of the Adyar Cancer Institute, told the annual meeting of the Indian Science Congress which concluded in Tiruchi November 13.
She said bad diet habits, not maintaining personal hygiene, unhealthy sexual practices and alcohol consumption also posed cancer risk.
The most important human carcinogen was tobacco. Forty per cent of cancers in men was caused by tobacco. While 20 per cent was caused by chronic infection, the changing lifestyle and food habits also accounted for cancer.
The positive aspect of cancer was that a majority of its various forms was preventable. Primary prevention aimed at avoiding cancer by eliminating exposure to cancer causing factors, including the environment.
Dr Shantha suggested periodic health check-up, especially for those in the high-risk group.
The second stage of cancer control centered on early detection of pre-cancer and cancer. Chemoprevention was the new area of investigation that would seek to reduce risk of cancer development through use of appropriate drugs.
The oncologist said annually eight lakh new cancer cases were reported. This was bound to go up given the current trend of diseases, tobacco habits, life expectancy, etc. The demographic effect in this increase was also a matter for concern.
Astute clinical observation and diligent field studies revealed that two-thirds of human cancer related to environment in the widest sense, she added. (Agencies)
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