A delegate speaks at the 4th Vigyan Congress at the planetarium on Friday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, June 10: Cases of cancer have reached such a point in the state that if not checked now, cancer can prove to be more harmful than kala azar.

Dr Jitendra Kumar Singh, the director of Mahavir Cancer Sansthan, presented this view on the second day of 4th Bihar Vigyan Congress, organised by Bihar Council of Science and Technology at the planetarium.

Speaking on the topic “Cancer treatment facilities in Bihar, present perspective and future direction”, Singh underlined the consequences of the disease, if not checked now. “The number of cancer cases that have come up in the past few years, it could cross diseases like kala-azar, diarrhoea and others. It is time to control and check the disease,” he said.

According to Singh, every year around 75,000-80,000 new cancer patients come to Bihar for treatment and at least 50,000 die every year.

“Every year, Mahavir Cancer Sansthan receives around 24,880 new cancer patients. While the number at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences is 3,345, in PMCH, it is 3,245. Apart from these, 25,000-30,000 new patients turn up at the private institutions. The situation is more serious among women as they have far outnumbered the men. While in 1989, women comprised 49 per cent of cancer patients in the state, in 2010, the figure rose to 59 per cent,” Singh added.

The Mahavir Cancer Sansthan director also said: “Tobacco is the biggest reason behind this disease. If tobacco is restricted, the percentage of people afflicted by this disease will reduce by 50 per cent.”

He also said it is very important to detect the disease at an early stage. “It is important to detect the disease early. If someone is detected to be in the early stages of cancer, there is a possibility to completely cure them,” said Singh.

He underlined a World Health Organisation report that states 33 per cent of cancer cases can be prevented, 33 per cent can be cured if detected at an early stage and 33 per cent can be palliated by different modalities and treatment.

In his 11 years at Mahavir Cancer Sansthan, Singh said, only two per cent of cancer patients had come in their early stages, adding that lack of awareness restricts people to come early.