Lung cancer patients in India tend to be younger and more likely to be non-smokers compared to their Western counterparts, according to a recent study by the Indian Cancer Society, as reported by The Times of India.
This distinctive profile of Indian lung cancer patients was highlighted in a special review of lung cancer cases in Asia, published in The Lancet, a leading medical journal.
The study, conducted by a team of doctors primarily from Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai, titled “Uniqueness of lung cancer in Southeast Asia,” reveals that lung cancer was the third most frequently diagnosed cancer in this region in 2020, with 1.85 million new cases (7.8%).
However, it remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with 1.66 million fatalities (10.9%). In comparison, the global figures stood at 2.2 million new cases (11.6%) and 1.7 million deaths (18%). In India, lung cancer accounted for 72,510 new cases annually (5.8%) and 66,279 deaths (7.8%).
Dr Kumar Prabhash from Tata Medical Centre’s medical oncology department, one of the authors, told the newspaper that over half of India’s lung cancer patients do not smoke.
The study points to several risk factors for lung cancer in non-smokers, including air pollution (especially PM2.5 particles), occupational exposure to hazardous materials such as asbestos, chromium, cadmium, arsenic, and coal, and exposure to second-hand smoke at home. Other contributing factors include genetic predisposition, hormonal influences, and pre-existing lung conditions.
Dr Prabhash also noted that while the incidence rate of lung cancer in India is lower than in the West, with 6 cases per 1,000 people compared to 30 per 1,000 in the US, the absolute number of cases is significant due to the country’s large population.
Another challenge unique to India is the high incidence of tuberculosis (TB), which can delay lung cancer diagnosis because the symptoms of both diseases are similar. The study mentions that accessing the latest treatments is difficult and costly in India, as most are developed abroad, the TOI report said.
Early diagnosis and treatment remain the most significant challenges, with only about 5% of lung cancer patients in India seeking timely surgical intervention. Dr. Prabhash stressed the need to increase this figure to at least 20%, as seen in Western countries.
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