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Headline: International Women's Day 2023: Health Complications That Women Ignore On Daily Basis, Expert Speaks, Watch Video

Publication: The Healthsite (Zee Digital)

Headline: When it comes to health, why 30s are the new 40s for women

Platform: India Today

Amid the rising burden of non-communicable diseases, the menace of cancer is also increasing. According to a 2022 study in the India Journal of Medicine, the estimated number of incident cases of cancer in India for the year 2022 was found to be 14,61,427.

In India, one in nine people is likely to develop cancer in his/her lifetime. Lung and breast cancers were the leading sites of cancer in males and females, respectively, the study found.

In a conversation with Financial Express.com, Dr. Peush Bajpai, HOD and Consultant, Medical Oncology, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka talked about the prevalence of cancer in India, its challenges, diagnostic measures, and treatment advancements among others.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and India is no exception. The World Health Organization (WHO) ranking places India third in the number of new cases per year worldwide. ICMR has predicted a possible 12 percent rise in cancer rate in India by the next 5 years. Dr. Peush Bajpai, HOD & Consultant, Medical Oncology, Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka, talked about the prevalence of cancer in India, its challenges, diagnostic measures, and treatment advancements among others in an interview with Financial Express Online.

Experts weigh in on India being a high-incidence region for gallbladder cancer globally.

Abnormal growth of cells begins in the gallbladder, which is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of the abdomen, just beneath your liver, is defined as gallbladder cancer. Experts have noted that the size gallbladder and its location make it easier for cancer to grow undetected.

In a report published in a medical journal in August 2019, it was found that cases of gallbladder cancer (GBC) have been increasing significantly.

The report titled-"Epidemiology of gallbladder cancer in India"-it is mentioned that India is a high-incidence area for GBC and contributes to about 10 percent of the global GBC burden.

WION spoke with experts to know more about GBC. Dr Shubham Jain, the HoD and consultant at surgical oncology, HCMCT in Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka in New Delhi, said: "India is in fact a high-incidence area for GBC seen worldwide, the South Asian region contributes roughly 70 per cent of the patients suffering from this type of cancer.

Dr. Jain added, "Conventionally, gallstones are seen as a risk factor for developing cancer, however, there are no defined preventive strategies towards fighting gall balder cancers.

The high prevalence of cervical cancer is an urgent call to spread awareness and provide access to treatment facilities to women all around the world. Out of all the cancers affecting women, 6-30% of cases are of cervical cancer. It comes right after breast cancer in women. The whole month of January is marked as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month by the WHO to keep people informed about the causes of cervical cancer and its treatment.

Cancer is a condition where cells keep growing in the body and spreading to other parts, causing hindrances in the body’s function. When this happens in the uterine cervix, it is called cervical cancer. Cervical cancer can affect women of any age, but it is most common in women over the age of 30. The long-lasting infection of human papillomavirus (HPV), is responsible for cervical cancer. This virus is sexually transmitted and affects half of the sexually active people at some point in their lives. Not all HPV infections lead to cervical cancer, but the risk increases rapidly. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a group of over 200 related viruses, many of them capable of causing different types of cancer.

Need to create awareness around cervical cancer:

People must be made aware of early detection and preventive measures as soon as possible. The most common test used for diagnosis is the Pap smear test, which is also called cervical cytology. In this test, the doctor examines and collects a sample of cells from the cervix region using a spatula or a swab. The sample is then observed by a cytologist under a microscope. A negative result means there’s no infection, whereas a positive test means the presence of precancerous or cancerous cells in the region. In the event of a positive test, another test is usually performed to rule out any errors in the diagnosis. Women over 30 years of age should undergo this test at least once every 5 years.

COVID risk on bone health: COVID primarily is a respiratory disease and affects the lungs the most. The most common symptoms of COVID, even in new mutations are cough, sore throat, fever, and shortness of breath which again directly impacts the respiratory system. But there have been reported symptoms of fatigue, joint and bone pain, and worsened symptoms after little physical or mental exertion in long COVID.

Dr. Rajeev Verma, HOD and consultant - Joint Replacement and Orthopaedics, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka says, “There are a few reasons for this musculoskeletal pain. First, direct viral toxicity, endothelial cell damage and dysregulation of the immune response lead to exaggerated inflammation leading to muscular pain. Second, the muscular pain and long recovery time of COVID may cause stiffness and immobility in the joints that eventually end up causing joint pains.”

How sedentary lifestyle is making us vulnerable to cancer, here's what doctors say:

A sedentary lifestyle is basically a lifestyle where a person spends most of his/her time in one comfortable position and does not indulge in much physical activity. Medical experts claim that this kind of lifestyle has many sorts of health risks in general and increasing cancer cases are also reported which originate due to a sedentary lifestyle. In the past decade, the cases of obesity-related cancer have been on the rise, and sitting, reclining, and lying down for hours at stretch is a new carcinogen, according to experts.

"In the past 30–40 years, three main modifiable factors have emerged that are associated with an increased risk of cancer: physical inactivity, sedentary behavior, and overweight or obesity. The incidence of obesity-related cancers is critically affected by dietary composition, physical activity, and sedentary practices. A key and effective measure in the prevention of cancer is to reduce the exposure to modifiable causes of cancer, such as physical inactivity," says Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, Surgical Oncologist, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka.

Winter Hygiene: Recommendations to Keep Your Children Healthy

Dr. Vikram Gagreja, HOD, and Consultant Pediatrics, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka shares the best hygiene practices for the sound health of children in winter.

Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister of India, in the Lok Sabha today while announcing the Union Budget 2023, notified that the sickle cell anaemia (SCA) elimination programme will entail awareness creation, universal screening of seven crore people in the age group of 0-40 years in affected tribal areas, and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments tribal areas, and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.

Terming the decision as a ‘welcome step’, medical experts speaking to ET Healthworld informed that the initiative to eliminate sickle cell anaemia by the ruling government will be a critical socioeconomic determinant for the progress of India.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Ankita Baidya, Senior Infectious Disease Expert, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals voiced, “I appreciate this step that the government has taken for launching a mission to eliminate sickle cell anaemia with a target of 2047. Being an infectious diseases physician, I am also concerned about communicable diseases, and infectious diseases. Though a lot of work is being done by the government sector in the field of tuberculosis (TB), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and chikungunya. But I feel more budget and funds need to be allocated in this sector to enable more advancements in the medicines needed to tackle these infectious diseases. Also, there needs to be more attention given to the control and prevention of these diseases”.