Society for advancement of academics, sports and cultural activities (SAASCA) of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana organized a special lecture on 'Cancer Awareness'. Dr. Devinder Singh Sandhu, a renowned Econolgist of the country and Executive Chairman of Cancer Council of India gave a detailed account of cancer disease, its causes and prevention measures.
Telling about the magnitude of the dreaded diseases, Dr. Sandhu said every year about 7.6 million people in the world die of cancer. In India alone, about 5.5 lakh people die of cancer every year and there are about 25 lakh cases of people suffering from cancer. Dr. Sandhu told that cancer is not a contagious disease nor it can be caused by some injury or bruise. He said that till today causes for cancer are not known. However, certain risk factor like ageing, tobacco, sunlight, alcohol, physical inactivity, obesity, high fat diet, pesticides, radiation, less intake of fruits and vegetables are known to increase the chance that a person will develop cancer. "By avoiding these risk factors, one can lower the chance of developing a cancer", he remarked.
Talking about cancer prevention, Dr. Sandhu said that people can help protect themselves by staying away from these risk factors whenever possible. Important steps of cancer prevention include avoid smoking, alcohol, maintaining healthy weight, being physical active, and eating a moderate fat diet with enough of fruits and vegetables, he told. Dr. Sandhu also suggested that people above 40 years of age should go for regular screening which help to diagnose cancer at initial stages, which can be successfully cured.
