Srinagar (J&K): In an alarming development, Kashmir has witnessed 20 per cent rise in the number of cancer cases in a year with breast cancer accounting for most patients, infecting more unmarried women of late, officials said.
According to the latest figures revealed by the Regional Cancer Center at the Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura, a total of 4,737 cancer cases were reported in the year 2021, up from 3,840 cases of cancer in 2020. Lung and breast cancers now account for most of the cases. Experts say that lung cancer is more common in men due to smoking, poor diet, lack of physical activity and other things.
According to the Regional Cancer Center, breast cancer is not limited to married women only but is becoming more common among unmarried young women. Breast cancer occurs in .5 to one per cent of men as well, according to the experts.
“Of course, women have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than men. Most cases of breast cancer have been reported during the year 2020-21, followed by lung cancer,” an official said. According to a survey conducted in 2018, the rate of breast cancer among women in Kashmir Valley was 13.5 per cent.
Experts believe that the main reason for the increasing number of cancer patients is the change in people's lifestyle. Cancer develops when normal cells turn tumourous, which then invade the other tissues. Experts have attributed many reasons for this, such as ultraviolet radiation, smoking, alcohol and chemical effects, genetic risk factors, stress and certain viruses or bacteria. The risk of cancer increases dramatically with age, as ageing also increases the risk of exposure to certain carcinogens.
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