According to experts, there are two broad types of lung cancers based on the cell types involved in progression of malignancy. They include small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.
The small cell lung cancer as per experts is extensively found in the heavy smoking population and is very rarely found in non-smoking population. A latest study was conducted by SKIMS, and found smoking related cancers have increased drastically in Srinagar.
In 2014 International agency for research concluded that in addition to active smoking, passive smoking of carcinogenic substances can also cause lung cancer.
The experts underline that long-term passive exposure of cigarette smoke increases chances of lung cancer and breast cancers. The cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals among which 70 have been reported to be highly carcinogenic.
Apart from lung cancer smoking increases the risk of larynx, oesophageal, bladder cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide in men. Even passive smoking is harmful and increases risk of cancer.
As per WHO, tobacco kills more than 8 million people every year around the world. Out of this, more than 7 million deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke, it also informed on its website.
While cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide, other uses products include waterpipe tobacco, various smokeless tobacco products, cigars, cigarillos, roll-your-own tobacco, pipe tobacco, bidis and kreteks.
In 2020, tobacco related cancers are estimated to contribute 3.7 lakhs (27.1%) of the total cancer burden.
As per the officials, cancer is diagnosed and treated at various levels in the health care facilities. The treatment in Government Hospitals is either free or “highly subsidized” for the poor and needy, the Ministry of Health informed the parliament recently.
The dangers of tobacco must not be concealed. Everyone has a duty to help tobacco users.
Vital Strategies has found that it is critical to the victims and to the tobacco users in the focus groups that the victims are heard, and what they say is conveyed to tobacco users.
In order to prevent lung cancers, the experts have been stressing the need for screening programs for early detection of lung cancer. At society level, measures for improving air quality need to be taken while there is need to curtail active and passive smoking.