Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Aug 1: Lung cancer is one of the common cancers in Jammu & Kashmir and around 80 percent of such cases can be prevented only by way of quitting smoking, doctors said.
The doctors said the best way to reduce the cases of lung cancer in J&K is by quitting smoking. They said the deteriorating air quality is also contributing to the rise in such cases.
Dr Zahoor, a leading oncologist at SKIMS Soura, said that lung cancer is one of the cancers with a very strong association with smoking. “It is the most common cancer worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related death. So by quitting smoking we can prevent almost more than 80% of lung cancers and decrease a big fraction of cancer burden and consequent cancer-related death,” he said.
Dr Manzoor, Head of Department, Radiation Oncology, at GMC Srinagar, said that the single-most important prevention for lung cancer is ‘No Tobacco Use’.
He said that on the one hand, lung cancer is most prevalent with 90 percent of people getting affected due to smoking, but on the other side, there are tobacco products available at doorsteps. “How is it possible to get rid of it,” he said.
Lung cancer has been found to be the second commonest cancer. In the past few decades, the cancer catastrophe has created havoc globally while Kashmir has witnessed a rise in cases of lung and breast cancers.
As per the hospital-based data from Kashmir Valley, males have a higher incidence of lung cancer. “There is a direct relation between length of smoking and number of cigarettes smoked per day. Even if smokers quit smoking, there are chances of developing cancer but these chances decrease to a greater extent,” the doctors said.
They said that poor air quality is also one of the reasons for lung cancer among non-smokers because of increasing exposure to toxic air.
Director SKIMS Dr Parvaiz Koul recently said that yearly around 10,000 deaths are attributed to particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) exposure and there is a need to control it by countering it.
He said air pollution is the main issue of J&K due to the increasing number of vehicles, construction, brick kilns, and cement factories which emit pollutants and significantly pollute the air and affect the health which makes air pollution a health issue.
“The measures which can contribute to decreasing air pollution include using fewer vehicles, decreasing the use of unleaded petrol, decreasing use of biomass fuels, less use of Kangri, and using vented heaters, Dr Koul said, adding, “Air pollution is affecting every single organ of the body and we have work to reduce the pollution.”
The doctors said that besides quitting smoking at the individual level, there is a need to take measures to prevent environmental pollution and use clean drinking at the collective level to avoid lung and other cancers.
The air quality in Kashmir has been consistently deteriorating for the past three years and has been deteriorating more in winter. Lasjan area has the most polluted air, the Pollution Control Board data has revealed.
The Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM or PM 10) levels at all four stations in Srinagar have shown a steep rise in the last three years.
It is important to mention here that the prevalence of smoking tobacco in J&K is 20.8 percent, which is 6th highest in the country after Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
As per the National Health Survey figures, the prevalence of tobacco in Kashmir includes Kupwara 56%, Shopian 52%, Anantnag and Bandipora 49% each, Budgam 48 %, Pulwama 44%, Ganderbal 42%, Baramulla and Kulgam 41% each and Srinagar 38%.
As per the GATS 2 data, 35.2% of men & 5.1% of women & 20.8% of all adults smoke tobacco in J&K.
