Hoshiarpur - “About 30 lakh people are suffering from cancer in India, out of which 14 lakh cases are new. Cancer kills 9.10 lakh people in India every year. Dr Vijay Bansal, Director, Surgical Oncology, IVY Hospital, said that India has the highest prevalence of oral cancer globally, with 1.75 lakh new cases of such cancer occurring every year. Tobacco and gutkha chewing contribute to 90 percent of oral cancer cases in the country.
Medical Oncology Director Dr Jatin Sarin said that head and neck cancer is mainly caused by our lifestyle and habit of betel nut chewing, tobacco and alcohol consumption and poor oral hygiene. The gold standard test for diagnosing head and neck cancer is a tissue biopsy. He said that the extent of spread of cancer can be determined through imaging such as PET scan or contrast enhanced MRI, CT scan.
Dr. Bansal said that the treatment of head and neck cancer includes 3 methods of surgical oncology, medical oncology and radiation oncology. Director of Radiation Oncology Dr Meenakshi Mittal said that head and neck cancer can originate from the pharynx, nose and paranasal sinuses, oral cavity, larynx and salivary glands. Recent advances have greatly improved treatment outcomes, he said.
Common symptoms of head and neck cancer:
A canker sore in the neck, jaw or back of the mouth Facial pain or weakness Pain in the neck Difficulty moving the jaw, difficulty swallowing, speech problems, ear pain or hearing loss etc.