File Photo: Indian activists and social workers take part in a cancer awareness rally in Kolkata, capital of eastern Indian state West Bengal, Feb. 4, 2016. (Xinhua/Tumpa Mondal)
A new World Health Organisation (WHO) report released on the occasion of World Cancer Day has stated that at least one in every 10 people in India would be suffering from cancer during his/her lifetime.
It also said the incidence of cancer was growing in India and that one in every 15 Indians would die from the disease.
According to an estimate, there were an estimated 1.16 million new cancer cases identified every year in India, and around 784,800 people died from it annually.
Of the 570,000 new cancer cases among men, the most prevalent was oral cancer, followed by lung cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer and oesophageal cancer, accounting for 45 percent of registered cases.
Of the 587,000 new cancer cases among women, the highest numbers were of breast cancer, followed by cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, oral cancer and colorectal cancer, accounting for 60 percent of all cancer case.
The WHO report also revealed that the six major types of cancer recorded in India were - breast cancer, oral cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, and colorectal cancer.
Every year breast cancer saw 162,500 cases, while 57,000 cases of colorectal cancer were reported. The six types of cancer accounted for 49 percent of all new cancer cases.
The theme for this year's World Cancer Day was - 'I Can, We Can.' The theme highlights the idea that everyone had the capacity to address the cancer burden and that together one could work together to reduce cancer risk factors.