Jammu, July 22: In what could send alarm bells ringing, the Regional Cancer Centre at Government Medical College here has registered nearly 700 cancer patients in past six months, majority of whom belongs to Jammu region.
 The rising number of cancer patients in Jammu has panicked the doctors at the Cancer Centre of the premier hospital who have approached the union health ministry seeking more funds to meet the expenses in wake of unprecedented surge in the incidence of the deadly decease.
 Sources said the Cancer Center approached the Central government with the request for enhancement of allocations as Rs 2 crore annual funds being provided to it falls short to run it effectively.
 Head of the Centre, Dr Ashutosh Gupta said there had been 20 to 30 per cent rise in the number of patients every year in the state and it is matter of great concern. “Since over a decade the number of Lung, stomach, throat and cervical cancer cases have risen alarmingly”, said Dr Gupta.
 During 2009 alone, GMC has registered about 1,400 cancer patients-an alarming rise as compared to the past figures, Dr Gupta said adding in 2004, the total number of new cancer cases in J&K was at 1,164. Going by the previous data, the state has been witnessing a steep increase in the number of cancer cases which go up from 803 in 1997 to over 1,300 in 2007.
 The figures further reveal the state reported 1,266 cancer cases in 2006, 1,185 in 2005, 1,168 in 2004, 1,058 in 2003. Between 1998 to 2002, the number of such cases  went up by 6.3 per cent–937 in 1998, 901 in 1999, 952 in 2000 and 996 in 2002.
 “Most of the patients belong to Jammu province, mostly from Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua,” Dr Gupta said adding the studies had attributed this rising trend to changing lifestyle and pollution.
  “In this state, like last year, the cases of lung cancer were highest followed by throat, food pipe and stomach cancer in male population, while cervix cancer was more persistent among females,” added Dr Gupta.
 “If we see ten years back, we used to give radiotherapy to 30 to 40 patients everyday, but now we give radiotherapy to 80 patients   indicating increasing insistence of the disease,” said a Radiologist.
 It is pertinent to mention here that GMC had recently purchased Brachytherapy cancer treatment apparatus costing Rs 2 crore to deal with the increasing number of patients with cervical cancer.
 Brachytherapy is an advanced cancer treatment in which radioactivity seeds or sources are placed near the tumor to administer a high radiation dose to it while reducing the exposure of surrounding healthy tissues to the radiation.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:30:00 GMT
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