World Tobacco Day: Cancer survivors share their experiences

Babu Lal Saini, a 54-year-old resident of Mansarovar colony of Jaipur started smoking in his teenage and after smoking for 20 long years, he got detected with throat cancer in 2005. He underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation for one year in a city hospital and due to the disease, he had to quit his job while his children had to take up mean jobs to support the family.

Saini was among many cancer survivors present in the program organized at Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day.

These survivors shared their experiences of how tobacco led to serious diseases. They also expressed that it is not only the patient who suffers but it is the whole family that bears the pain.

“On an average, 2500 people in India are losing their battle against cancer every day and of the total cancer patients in India around 45% males and 17% females suffer from tobacco generated cancers,” Dr Nidhi Patni, HoD, Radiation Oncology at BMCHRC said.

“As per data collected at BMCHRC in last 5 years, total 46,904 cancer patients were treated and an average 9,380 patients are admitted to the hospital annually. The most common cancer in these patients was head and neck cancer and tobacco was the main reason behind it,” Dr Nidhi added.

As per established facts, annually around 70 lakh people die globally because of tobacco generated diseases, India shares 16% burden of these deaths.

Dr Lalit Mohan Sharma, Medical Oncologist shared that, “Tobacco in any form, contains harmful chemicals which affects human DNA that leads to various cancers. People who consume chewable tobacco and smoke are more prone to mouth cancer.”

“Most of the cases are reported at the last stage which leads to expensive treatment with minimum effect. In such cases, nothing much can be done and the patient suffers from acute pain,” Dr Naresh Ledwani, Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncology said.