People under 40 account for 20 pc cancer cases in India: Study

New Delhi, May 24: Cancer is affecting more young people in India. A new study on Friday showed that 20 percent of the cancer cases in the country are being seen in men and women below the age of 40. The study by Cancer Mukt Bharat Foundation, a Delhi based non profit, showed that 60 percent below 40 cancer patients were men, while 40 percent were women.

Head and neck cancer (26 percent) were the most prevalent, closely followed by gastrointestinal cancers (16 percent) like colon, stomach, and liver. Breast cancer accounted for 15 percent, and blood cancers for 9 percent. Ashish Gupta, Principal Investigator and Senior Oncologist, spearheading the Cancer Mukt Bharat Campaign in India blamed the rise in cancers among young adults for a poor lifestyle.

In our country escalating rates of obesity, change in dietary habits, specifically the increase in consumption of ultra processed food, and sedentary lifestyles also are associated with higher cancer rates, Ashish said. We must adopt a healthy lifestyle and avoid the use of tobacco and alcohol to prevent the risk of cancer in the younger generation, he added. The study also showed that 27 percent of cases diagnosed in India are in stages 1 and 2 of cancer whereas 63 percent were Stage 3 or 4 cancer.

Nearly two-thirds of cancers were detected late, likely due to low adoption of proper screening, said Ashish. The study was conducted on 1,368 cancer patients across India who called the foundation's Cancer Helpline Number between March 1 and May 15.