Cancer, the second most common disease in India and the cause of maximum mortality rate in Manipur is on the rise, Dr. Y Mohen, former superintendent of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal said on Saturday as Manipur joined the rest of the country in observing National Rose Day.

Speaking as chief guest at National Rose Day organized by Manipur Cancer Society at RIMS Radiotherapy Department, Imphal, Dr. Mohen said cancer was one of the diseases which can strike anyone, irrespective of age, sex, profession or economic status.

He said there are as many as 40 lakh cancer patients in India and annually 10 lakh new cases were added to this existing data, he added.
In the context of Manipur, he said, a rapid increase in the number of people suffering from cancer was detected in the last few years.

Earlier, an average of 800 new cases was detected but it has been increased to around 1300 per year in the last few years, he said.
Dr. Mohen observed consumption of tobacco in various forms as one of the main reasons behind the rapid increase of the disease.

Manipur has been placed at the top among the states in the country with high prevalence of tobacco consumption where every second man and every third women in Manipur are addicted to tobacco as per a report of the National Tobacco Control Programme.

Doctors of RIMS Radiotherapy Department who spoke on the occasion expressed concern on the rise of cancer patients in the state asserting that among various diseases, cancer has become a big threat to human beings globally.

The doctors explained that as per Indian population census data, the rate of mortality due to cancer in India was high and alarming with about 806000 existing cases by the end of the last century. Cancer is responsible for maximum mortality with about 0.3 million deaths per year, owing to poor availability of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, the doctos added.

All types of cancers have been reported from the Indian population including cancer of skin, lungs, breast, rectum, stomach, prostate, liver, cervix, esophagus, bladder, blood, mouth etc., they observed. In spite of advancement in diagnosis and treatment, cancer is still a big threat to society, however attempts have been made to study the status of cancer in India including its causes, preventive measures, effect on Indian economy and comparison with global scenario, they added.

The function was marked by presentation of roses along with other gifts to cancer patients currently being treated at Radiotherapy Department, RIMS.
A “face to face” programme was also organized by Manipur Cancer Society to give an opportunity to the patients to meet the survivors and exchange experiences and feelings during the most difficult part of their struggle for survival.

This is a regular feature of the observation function of the society, said the organizers of the function. National Rose Day was first celebrated in Manipur on September 22, 2006 with the main objective to create awareness among the people on the fact that people can survive cancer and the diagnosis of dreadful disease does not necessarily mean death.