Every year, November 7 is observed as National Cancer Awareness Day in India. On this occasion, the Cancer Hospital Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute (GCRI) located within the Civil Hospital campus in Ahmedabad’s Asarwa, started free cancer screening for patients and their family members three years ago in October 2021, and has screened a total of 36,439 individuals so far.

To raise awareness about cancer and to inspire patients, a special programme called “Cancer Victors Salute” will be held on Thursday, where 100 cancer survivors who have been fighting cancer for over 10 years and are currently in good health, will be honoured.

Dr Shashank Pandya, Director of GCRI, stated that the free screening OPD was launched to help not only cancer patients but also their family members. 

Among which 36,000+ relatives were screened, over 50 people have been found to have cancer, ranging from Stage 1 to Stage 4.

55 individuals were diagnosed with cancer through the free screening, including 4 people with Stage 1 cancer, 14 with Stage 2, 15 with Stage 3, and the highest number, 22 people, were diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.

Findings from the Screening 

22 people were unaware they had Stage 4 cancer. Over 2,500 individuals showed signs of precancerous conditions such as leukoplakia and erythroplakia, primarily among tobacco users.

1,227 women underwent mammography for breast cancer screening, and 1,761 women were tested for HPV (Human Papillomavirus).

The screening revealed 55 cases of cancer, including 21 cases of breast cancer and 33 cases of oral cancer. Additionally, there was 1 cervical cancer case and 1 case of uterine cancer.

According to Global Cancer Data, there were 19.3 million cancer cases reported worldwide in 2020, which is expected to rise to more than 30 million by 2040. Cancer-related deaths, which were 10 million in 2020, are projected to increase to 16.3 million by 2040.

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