Efforts being made to set up advanced cancer hospital in Latur

A senior official at the Tata Trusts has said efforts were being made to establish an advanced hospital in Maharashtra`s Latur for cancer patients and reduce their challenges for travelling to Mumbai for the treatment.

Highlighting the need for district-level cancer hospitals affiliated with government medical colleges, Dr Kailash Sharma, medical director with Tata charitable trust, told PTI over the weekend that timely biopsy reports and affordable cancer treatment are critical for the common people.

He noted that travelling to Mumbai for treatment is a significant challenge for many cancer patients.

The official said that to address this, they have already established modern cancer hospitals in Varanasi, Punjab, Visakhapatnam and Guwahati.

To provide state-of-the-art cancer treatment facility and ensure faster biopsy reports for patients in Maharashtra`s Latur and Dharashiv districts, efforts are being made to establish an advanced cancer hospital here, affiliated to the Vilasrao Deshmukh Government Medical College, he said.

The initiative will be modelled on the cancer hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, said Dr Sharma, who visited Latur last week for an Onco-Pathology Hematology Conference.

Citing recent reports, he expressed concern over the rising global incidences of cancer.

Currently, India has 13 to 14 lakh cancer patients, with 6 to 7 lakh fatalities annually. By 2030, these numbers are projected to rise to 20 to 22 lakh, with nearly 12 lakh annual deaths anticipated, the official said.

Dr Sharma also discussed various types of cancers, their prevalence and underlying causes.

He noted that breast cancer in women is less common in rural areas (20 per lakh) compared to urban areas (35 to 40 per lakh). Factors like late marriages, delayed childbirth, reduced breastfeeding, hormonal changes, sedentary lifestyles and obesity contribute to this trend, he said.

Oral cancer in men is alarmingly high due to the consumption of tobacco and gutkha, affecting 30 out of every one lakh men.

Cervical cancer in women has shown a decline, but colon cancer cases in both men and women are increasing, especially in regions like Assam and the northeast, due to dietary habits, the official said.

Dr Sharma highlighted the successful initiatives by the Tata Trusts in providing relief to children battling cancer and their families by offering free treatment as well as education, meals, medication and even special playrooms for their entertainment.

“This initiative has given a humane and compassionate face to medical services at the Tata Cancer Hospital, making it a benchmark of success,” he added. 

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