Hospitals in Calcutta should have preventive oncology departments which could help in early detection of cancer cases, several experts said on Friday.

“There are many who don’t have cancer but who fall in the high-risk category because of family history of cancer, use of tobacco, obesity and other factors. If they undergo tests regularly, the disease, if they have any, can be detected at an early stage,” said Gautam Mukhopadhyay, surgical oncologist and vice-president of Cancer Care and Cure Society of Bengal, a charitable organisation focused on raising cancer awareness.

“We will appeal to the private hospitals in Calcutta to open preventive oncology departments,” said Mukhopadhyay.

He said a preventive oncology department was opened at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, in 1992.

Soumen Das, surgical oncologist and joint secretary of the Cancer Care and Cure Society of Bengal, said that in Bengal, around two lakh new cancer cases are detected every year.

“In India, only 50 per cent of the cancer patients are cured compared to 90 per cent patients getting cured in countries like the US. The main reason for a lower rate of cure in India is late detection of the disease.”

The Cancer Care and Cure Society of Bengal is also focusing on providing support to patients undergoing treatment by launching the Cancer Navigator programme on Friday.

“The navigators are cancer survivors who will be guiding and motivating patients undergoing treatment,” said Sayan Paul, cancer expert and secretary of Cancer Care and Cure Society of Bengal.