Doctors say that most people suffering with lung cancer are chronic smokers.
Bengaluru, Nov. 23, 2018
Half the population in the city are smokers, leading to a rise in lung cancer cases say doctors. Half of these are men who are chronic smokers, said Dr. Niti Raziada, a senior consultant medical oncologist at Vikram Hospital.
She said that the city stands third, after Delhi and Chennai, in the number of lung cancer patients. She added, “Most lung cancer patients are smokers. Presently, almost 50 per cent of the population in the city are smokers.”
“I smoke 10 to 15 cigarettes a day. I also fall short of breath while walking. I also can’t concentrate on my work for the same reason,” said Siddhanth Bidarkar, a chronic smoker.
“In India there are no proper records of how many people are detected with lung cancer,” said Dr. Suraj Manjunath, Consultant Onco-Suregon of Vikram Hospital. He added, “It is curable before it spreads to other organs. Around 50 per cent of men and 30 per cent women are diagnosed with cancer .”
The HoD of Oncology of Kidwai Institute Dr. Ramesh, said that this year more than 250 cases of lung cancer have been recorded. .
“People generally ignore the first symptoms of lung cancer like severe cough or spitting blood. They should get themselves screened for lung cancer,” said K S Satish, a consultant pulmonologist. We have subsidised the price in the awareness week for lung cancer screening, but otherwise it costs around Rs. 2000-3000.
