India should evolve exclusive cancer control programmes emulating similar initiatives done by China and USA, according to V Shantha, chairperson, Cancer Institute, Chennai.

She noted both China and USA have been able to successfully check certain cancers, and concerted efforts and teamwork coupled with an energetic control programme would be useful in reducing cancer morbidity in the country. India’s cancer control strategy should incorporate education, screening and treatment to augment efforts in controlling and detecting the disease at early stages.

Participating in a seminar on ‘Awareness on Preventive Oncology’, organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Chennai, here this week, she noted the United States had enacted a Cancer Act during the period of president Nixon with the aim of coordinating the efforts of various organizations and scientists with a single point aim of reducing cancer mortality by half by year 2000.

The programmes were aimed at early detection of cancer. Now more than half of the breast cancer patients in USA are detected with the help of mammography. Thanks to the concerted efforts of various agencies led by the American Cancer Society, America were able to reduce cigarette smoking in men by 33.2 per cent and in women by 13.7 per cent during the period between 1965 to 1983, said Dr Shantha.

Similarly China, a country with a population more than that of India, has been able to reduce certain types of cancers. China has virtually eradicated cervical cancer in the last two decades. If the incidence of cervical cancer was 25.4 per lakh people between 1982 and 1986 in China, it has reduced to 1.6 per lakh people according to the current data. If we compare it with the figures in Chennai, the city had 32.4 people per lakh during 1982 to 1986, and currently it is still high at 26.4 per lakh.

Pointing out that about eight lakh people develop cancer every year in the country, Dr Shantha said India should emulate the efforts of those countries in controlling the disease.

According to Vijaya Bharathi Rangarajan, founder CanStop, India leads the world in oral cancers. Our people consume four crore cigarettes, 8 crore beedis and 6 crore packets of snuff and ghutka everyday. About 0.2 per cent of the total arable land in the country is dedicated to grow tobacco.

Ravi Kannan, head of oncology department at Cancer Institute, Chennai, said tobacco related cancers and other health problems created a huge economic set back, which was five times higher than the money got through tobacco sales.