More than 600 new cancer cases reported annually in Nagaland

Our Correspondent KOHIMA, FEBRUARY 4 Joining the global community, the Cancer Society of North East (CSNE) organized an event marking the World Cancer Day 2016 at the Hotel Japfü, Kohima on Thursday with a fervent call for a collective efforts to reduce the impact that cancer has on individuals, families and communities. The World Cancer Day takes place every year on 4 February and is considered the single initiative under which the world can unite to raise the profile of cancer in a positive and inspiring way. In India, the North East region is said to have the highest prevalence of 16 forms of cancer in both male and female. According to the Population Based Cancer Registry of the Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK), since 2012, more than 600 new cancer cases are being registered in Nagaland alone every year. This was revealed by PBCR NHAK principal investigator, Dr. V Khamo in her address on the occasion. She said the four leading sites of cancer in males in Nagaland is nasopharynx, stomach, oesophagus and hypopharynx and that of females are cervix, stomach, breast and nasopharynx. Dr. Khamo stated that cancer was earlier believed to be untreatable, but today medical science has come up with new inventions and many researches are taking place. If detected on time, cancer can be healed completely, she said and explained that cancer is divided into four stages based on the size of the tumour, of which, the first and second stages can be treated while in the third stage, the life of the patient can be extended. However, in the fourth stage, it becomes difficult to deal with the patient, she said. Towards this, she emphasized the need for proper awareness of the disease which will lead to early detection of the disease and this will then lead to proper and complete treatment of the disease. Dr. Khamo said cancer can strike anyone but people may avoid few things and try to prevent themselves from falling into the grip of cancer, such as taking healthy food and proper nutrition, keeping up with physical activities and daily exercise, less exposure to sunlight, avoiding artificial food and food products, avoiding tobacco and alcohol, maintaining proper hygiene, checking out for many abnormal formation or deformation in the body etc. She also warned that people who chew tobacco have greater risk for developing cancers of the oral cavity, especially the lip, tongue, palate and pharynx. Sharing her personal experience, retired Chief Secretary Banuo Z Jamir, who beat cancer in 2001, acknowledged that many people are affected when a person is diagnosed with cancer, and as much as the patients (or even more), she feels that the caregivers suffer more stress, tension and the pain of cancer. While recalling that she had feared not knowing what to expect during her treatment, she said she found courage from God and also found out that continuing her work was therapeutic. “It is not pity that a cancer patient wants or needs. It is support, love and encouragement,” Jamir said. She shared she has learnt that it is one’s responsibility to take care of one’s own body and that, how long one will live is not as important as how one lives. She also stressed on the need for having regular health check-up. On the sanctioning for setting up a tertiary cancer centre in the state, she said it was a welcome step and expressed hope that the state government and the concerned department will pursue the matter with importance as it would save patients in Nagaland from seeking treatment outside the state. Deputy Commissioner Kohima, Rovilatuo Mor, who was the guest of honour at the programme also shared his personal encounters with cancer in his family. He observed that not long ago, cancer used to be a dreaded disease and the people of the state used to associate it with curse or a form of punishment. However, the level and trend of awareness have increased and objective explanations have dramatically reduced such superstitious beliefs, he said. The administrative official maintained that more social awareness is needed and the society has to own up responsibility to render proper support and encouragement to contribute in promoting improvement in patients. Meanwhile, CSNE president, Lanuakum Jamir informed that CSNE was formed in 2011 by likeminded persons from seven NE states to provide holistic support to people suffering from cancer and create awareness particularly in remote areas of the region. This year, he said, the society has chosen to give priority to Nagaland and will be organizing awareness camps in different places in the state. “We strongly believe that we can beat cancer together,” he stated.