KARACHI, Aug 8: Health experts stressed on comprehensive tobacco control plan, including implementation of regulatory measures and coordinated involvement of government and community organizations besides health care professionals , to reduce cancer- related deaths in the country.

They were speaking at a scientific session on "Cancer, Community and Civil Hospital: Multidisciplinary approach to common malignancies", organized here on Saturday at the Dow University of Health Sciences by the Cancer Unit of Civil Hospital and the Pakistan Cancer Patients Welfare Society.

It was stated that more than 22 million people were cancer patients in the world. Six million deaths were reported annually due to cancer while 10 million cancer patients were added every year.

At the session, presentations were given by a number of doctors from different hospitals and medical institutes in the country, including Prof Jawaid Alam, Prof Saeed Qureshi, Prof Nusrat H. Khan of DUHS; Dr M. Shakir, Dr Noor Mohammad Soomro of Civil Hospital; Dr Naila Zahid of Liaquat National Hospital; Dr Amyn Alidina, Dr Azmeena Mohammad, Dr Salman Adil of Aga Khan University; Dr Tahir Shamsi of Bismillah Taqee Blood Diseases Centre, Karachi; Dr Siraj Abbasi of LINAR, Larkana; Dr Jawad Gillani of IRNUM, Peshawar; Dr Tariq Nadeem Ansari of Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi; Prof Shahryar of Mayo Hospital, Lahore; Dr Nadeem Zia Abbasi of MINAR, Multan; and Dr Shakeeb Younus of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital.

They said that tobacco use, alcohol drinking, occupational exposures, environmental pollution, food contaminants, medicinal drugs, radiation, chronic infections, diet and nutrition, immuno suppression, reproductive hormones were the major causes of cancer.

The health experts said that cancer could be prevented by reducing exposure to environmental carcinogens as well as by adopting healthy life style, including daily physical exercise and proper nutrition.

"Reducing the current smoking rate will avoid 20 to 30 million deaths by the year 2025 and 150 million deaths by the year 2050 as cancer was linked to tobacco use for more than two centuries.

It not only causes lung cancer, but also larynx, oral cavity, esophagus, pancreas, bladder, kidney, stomach and cervix beside non-neoplastic diseases," they said.

They further said that the responsibility regarding tobacco control had traditionally been accorded to doctors and public health specialists. They said that the government officials as well as different segments of society should equally share the responsibility. They suggested teachers could help ban smoking in schools and colleges.

The health experts were of the view that mass awareness campaigns could be launched to control rising trend of tobacco use among youth. Besides, implementation of regulatory measures to check tobacco use and encouraging personal commitment to leave smoking habits would also help reduce incidence of cancer. Likewise, they stressed upon coordinated involvement of government and community organizations to encourage youth in sports and other activities.

The speakers also expressed concern over the rise in incidence of ovarian and breast cancers in women - one of the most common gynaecological malignancy. They said that ovarian cancer was fifth most common cause of cancer-related deaths in women. - PPI