World Cancer Awareness Day – Chairman spreads mindfulness

NIMS Chairman and Chancellor, Prof. (Dr.) Balbir Singh Tomar interacted with the students of medical programme on November 7, 2015, which is marked as the World Cancer Awareness Day.

He mentioned what cancer really is and how it can affect a normal person’s health and consequently his life. This group of diseases not only has similar characteristics, but it can also affect each cell in the body that is living. It has an equal effect on male and female, child and old.

NIMS Chairman highlighted the main risk factor behind the spread of this disease, i.e. Tobacco. Although the spread is based on numerous factors where cancer process differs at all different stages, but most lethal and important factor is considered Tobacco.

NIMS Chairman, Dr. Balbir Singh Tomar said, “Many cancers can be prevented by not smoking, not drinking too much alcohol and maintaining a healthy weight, eating plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole grains, being vaccinated against certain infectious diseases, not eating too much processed and red meat, and avoiding too much exposure to sunlight”

He said “When cancer begins, it invariably produces no symptoms. Signs and symptoms only appear as the mass continues to grow or ulcerates. The findings that result depend on the type and location of the cancer. Few symptoms are specific, with many of them also frequently occurring in individuals who have other conditions.”

The control of cancer requires the effective implementation of knowledge derived from more than two decades of successful research. It is now known that over one-third of cancers are preventable, and one-third potentially curable provided they are diagnosed early in their course.

Further, the quality of life of patients with incurable disease can be improved with palliative care. “Financial and geographic constraints, and lack of manpower have contributed to the urban concentration of facilities. An unestimated number of cancers diagnosed in the population are not treated,”