Today, July 27 marks the world head and neck cancer day. On this day, experts stress on the need for prevention and early screening of the disease so as to figure out a cure in time and not let the disease spiral out of control. Head and neck cancer is amongst the most prevalent cancers in India with a staggering incidence of 149,782 patients in 2012, which is also expected to rise by 23.76% within the next two years.
“The estimated prevalence of these cancers is a conservative estimate, as the real incidence is expected to be at least 1.5 to 2 times higher due to the low coverage of cancer registries,” says Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, senior cancer surgeon (head and neck), Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. It has also been found that if diagnosed early, the survival rate for these kinds of cancer has been really good.
“Sharp tooth is one of main reasons for developing sores that over a period of time can lead to serious conditions, even mouth cancer. We have an ulcer clinic running in our hospital and those who notice mouth ulcer that’s not healing, should get screened,” says Dr OP Kharbanda, head, dental institute, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. Since it's already known that trying to cure the disease is a lot costlier than most people can afford, it's always better to prevent the onset of the disease.
