Cancer on the rise among youth

Youngsters in Kolkata are paying a heavy price for failing to kick the butt and spit out the pan masala. Despite a more high-pitched anti-tobacco campaign, pictorial warnings on cigarette packets and restrictions on the sale of tobacco products around educational institutions, GenNext, it seems, can't get rid of the cancer stick or the gutkha sachet.
Statistics reveal that 1,500 to 2,000 young adults in the city are diagnosed with oral or head and neck cancer every year and nearly half of them die within 12 months. The number has never been higher and ranks among the highest among metros in India
Even as smoking habit is on the wane around the country, Kolkata and the eastern region have been merrily puffing and chewing away. The consequences have been disastrous. Nearly 91% of the 25,000 oral cancer cases in the state are triggered by tobacco use.
"The worrying news is that an increasing number of young adults those in the 18 to 25 age group are now falling prey. Our data shows that it has been rising despite government-imposed restrictions on the sale of tobacco. Along with smoking, pan masala has been taking a big toll. Tobacco chewing raises the risk of oral cancer by 31 times. Unfortunately, urban youngsters are now hooked to pan masala chewing more than ever before," said Gautam Mukhopadhyay, senior oncologist, who led a study on cancer in Kolkata.
While smoking is known to trigger lung cancer and cancer of the voice box, stomach or oesophagus, pan masala-induced cancer is largely restricted to the mouth. Instances of oral cancer are now higher than smoke-induced cancers among Kolkata youngsters. "Head and neck cancer has always been the commonest form of the disease among males, followed closely by oral cancer. Among women, breast and cervical cancer top the list. Traditionally, lung and oral cancer patients would be middle-aged. But there has been an alarming drop in the age of patients over the last three years. It seems youngsters are getting hooked to tobacco even earlier than they previously did," said Subir Ganguly, senior oncologist. The study has also revealed that a majority of the tobacco addicts is addicted to alcohol which enhances the risk of cancer ten-fold.
"Smoke and alcohol is a dangerous combination. It exposes you to the risk of oral, lung and stomach cancer. Unfortunately, a strong drinking culture now exists in Kolkata. Youngsters love to puff away while they are downing a few pegs," said Mukhopadhyay. Nearly 50% of the 80,000 cancer cases in West Bengal annually are reported in the final stage of the disease. More than half of those who die of cancer in the state are tobacco users.
A survey done by the Cancer Foundation of India (CFI) among school children in Kolkata, confirms the early use of tobacco. "A surprisingly high percentage of high school students are now taking to smoking and chewing tobacco. By the time they are in their early twenties, many have had enough exposure to tobacco for cancer," said M Siddiqui, chairperson, CFI.
Experts blame the poor implementation of anti-tobacco laws and a weak awareness campaign for the alarming scenario. Youngsters, especially men, in this part of the country, they argue, still look at smoking and chewing as machismo. Early incidences of cancer among women, says the study, has more to do with an unregulated lifestyle than tobacco abuse. Indiscriminate use of contraceptives and sexual activity from an early age have been found responsible for cervical cancer among women in Kolkata.

Kolkata men most hit by tobacco cancer

Cancers caused by tobacco is highest among men from Kolkata and least among those from Mumbai, in the four metropolitan cities.
Among women, tobacco related cancers were highest in those from Chennai and least among women in Delhi.

Cancers caused by tobacco is highest among men from Kolkata and least among those from Mumbai, in the four metropolitan cities.
Among women, tobacco related cancers were highest in those from Chennai and least among women in Delhi.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research's "Cancer associated with the use of tobacco" report, nearly 44.4% of all cancers in men in Kolkata are because of tobacco followed by Chennai (41.4%), Delhi (39.4%) and Mumbai (39.2%).

Women from Chennai record the highest number of tobacco related cancers (15.2%) followed by Mumbai (13.5%), Kolkata (12.3%) and Delhi (11%).
Besides the four metropolitan cities, the burden of tobacco associated cancers is acute even in other cosmopolitan cities like Bangalore and Pune. Almost 35% of all cancers in men and 14.3% of all cancers in women from Bangalore are related to tobacco consumption.

In Pune, 39.3% of all cancers in men and 16.8% of all cancers in women are associated to tobacco.

However, among the 20 cancer registries surveyed, the burden of tobacco related cancers is most acute in Dibrugarh district in both men and women. Around 57% of all cancers in men here and 26.3% of all cancers in women in Dibrugarh were tobacco related.
Experts said, "In most societies smoking rates are higher for men than for women, but more men than women are giving up, and in some societies the number of female smokers is rising."
Director of medical oncology of AIIMS Dr Vinod Raina said, "One-third of all cancers in India is due to tobacco -- chewing or smoking. India needs to immediately strengthen its anti-tobacco programme and launch it across the country."
Tobacco kills nearly 5.7 million people worldwide each year, including 5.1 million people who die from their own smoking. The World Health Organisation says smoking is the world's leading cause of preventable death.
It causes 1 in 10 deaths among adults worldwide. At the current rate, the death toll is projected to reach more than 8 million annually by 2030 and a total of up to one billion deaths in the 21st century.
Second-hand tobacco smoke is equally dangerous to health.
In India, 34.6% of adults use tobacco in any form out of which 47.9% were male and 20.3% were female. There are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, of which at least 250 are known to be harmful and more than 50 are known to cause cancer.
Women comprise about 20% of the world's more than 1 billion smokers. Both men and women who smoke are prone to cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease.
Experts say that 90% of all lung cancer deaths in women smokers are attributable to smoking. Women who smoke have an increased risk for other cancers, including cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx (voice box), esophagus, pancreas, kidney, bladder, and uterine cervix.