Srinagar, Nov 01: Breast cancer is becoming widespread in Kashmir, causing the highest deaths in the reproductive age group, doctors said. Nearly 60% of women in Kashmir affected by cancer seek treatment at advance stages due to lack of awareness, said Dr Shabnam, valley’s top oncologist. Shabnam said that there is an ‘alarming rise in breast cancer cases in the region.
Dr Shabnam urged people to develop good lifestyle habits even as she called for early detection of the disease, reported news agency KNO. She described cancer as a modern epidemic, saying approximately 2 million new cases are being diagnosed worldwide each year and over 1 million deaths occur due to cancer. Quoting the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Dr Shabnam Bashir projected a 12% increase in cancer cases over the next five years.
She warned that these estimates may be conservative due to insufficient population-based cancer registries in India. Globally, 2.3 million new breast cancer cases are reported annually, with India accounting for about 10% (around 223,000 cases) and resulting in approximately 100,000 deaths each year.
The Kashmir state cancer registry indicates a recent 5% increase in breast cancer cases in the region. Dr Shabnam said, this rise is due to lifestyle changes, urbanisation, food adulteration, pollution, radiation, chemicals in cosmetics, and stress. While increased awareness may lead to higher diagnosis rates, it also contributes to the overall rise in cancer incidence,.
