Cricketer Yuvraj Singh's cancer diagnosis is distressing, and he will hopefully bounce back with the help of the best treatment available. But this is also a moment for India to consider how its public health policy is dealing with the long and dark shadow of cancer. An estimated 800,000 new cancer cases occur in India annually, imposing huge costs on state and society in providing tertiary care for advanced chronic cases. Mortality due to the scourge is projected to go up from 730,000 in 2004 to 1.5 million in 2030. The evidence on the causes clearly points to the need to strengthen key policy goals — preventing new cases, offering low or no-cost treatment, improving quality of life or palliation. Arguably, the single biggest intervention that public policy can make is to tighten curbs on the use of tobacco, given that major cancers in Indian men are linked to it. It is worth pointing out that India has the world's highest number of oral cancers, linked to the tobacco chewing habit. In general, screening and early diagnosis for cancer will benefit both men and women. The unfortunate reality is that India cannot quickly scale up screening in a cost-effective manner, and must therefore focus on early detection to enhance survival rates.......Read More

Source: The Hindu