Bhubaneswar, Nov. 7: A programme to observe National Cancer Awareness Day was organised by the Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital here.

In Odisha, 50,000 new cancer cases are detected annually and nearly six lakh patients die of the disease every year.

What's more alarming is that 60 to 80 per cent of cancer cases in the state are detected at advanced stage (stage three and four) when cure becomes difficult.

'Although the causes of delay in detection are many, the most common remains lack of awareness regarding early signs and symptoms of cancer,' said health minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak at the event.

The most common cancer found among men in the state is mouth and stomach cancer, while breast, cervical and lung cancer are common among women.

Besides, rampant tobacco use, various factors including food habits such as a regular diet of fermented and smoked meat and a huge number of people chewing paan are the main causes of the rise in cancer cases in the state.

However, almost two-third of cancer cases in the state are curable and so the state health department is planning to launch a massive awareness campaign across the state involving school students and teachers.

The proposal includes, spreading awareness through interpersonal communication by Asha (accredited social health activists) workers and doctors.

Doctors speaking at the conference said that 50 per cent of all cancers in men and 25 per cent in women in Odisha are caused due to tobacco use. Tobacco causes cancer of the oral cavity, lungs, oesophagus and urinary bladder. Harmful use of alcohol, poor dietary habit, lack of fibrous and fruit intake also cause cancer, said a doctor. Ten percent of cancers, particularly those of the liver, respiratory tract, colon and rectum, are due to poor dietary habits, he said.

In Odisha, cancer diagnosis facility are being developed at district headquarters hospitals under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, CVD and Stroke (NPCDCS).

'All district hospitals will be providing cancer diagnosis facility under the programme. Screening programme for early detection of cancer particularly cervical, breast and oral cavity will be started at every community and public health centres by providing training to all doctors and paramedical and arranging logistics,' Nayak said.

The state government has also proposed to convert Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre in Cuttack into a 500-bed State Cancer Institute shortly. The institute will have all modern technology for cancer diagnosis and management.

There are also plans to develop medical colleges as tertiary cancer care centres with support from the NPCDCS programme.

'We are in the process of submitting proposals to the centre soon. AIIMS, Bhubaneswar will also have 50 exclusive beds for cancer patients. We will also develop partnership with private cancer hospitals so that no patient goes out of the state for diagnosis and treatment,' the minister said.

'We are also planning to centrally procure chemotherapy medicines, so that poor patients can be treated free of costs,' he added.