Remove misconceptions about cancer

As per WHO, one-third of total cancers is curable if diagnosed at early stage, another one-third is preventable while the rest can be kept symptom-free with the provision of palliative care, they observed.

The roundtable titled 'Creating public awareness about the scourge of cancer in Bangladesh' was organised jointly by Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) and the weekly Financial Mirror at the Cirdap auditorium in the city.

Inaugurating the programme as chief guest National Professor Dr MR Khan said the exact cause of cancer is yet to be known but certain risk factors are related to external agents including solar radiation, tobacco, alcohol, air and water pollution and genetic factors.

He underscored the need for public awareness programme on early diagnosis of cancer at the grassroots level eliminating various superstitions and misconceptions.

While presenting a keynote paper titled 'Some facts and figures of cancer in the context of cancer awareness and prevention in Bangladesh' Prof AMM Shariful Alam said the actual picture of cancer in Bangladesh is not clear due to lack of National Cancer Registry Programme.

"Hospital-based cancer registry started at the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital (NICRH) in the city from January 2005.Besides, population-based cancer registry in a small scale is going on at Gazipur by Bangladesh Cancer Foundation," said Prof Shariful, director of Radiation Oncology of NICRH.

He said illiteracy, ignorance, lack of cancer awareness, religious prejudice, social stigma, low socio-economic status and inadequate cancer diagnostic facilities in cancer centres are mainly responsible for late detection of cancer.

The symptoms of cancer relate to changes in bowel or bladder habits, unusual bleeding, thickening or lump in the breasts or elsewhere, indigestion or difficulty in swallowing and nagging cough or hoarseness of voice, he added.

DAM President Qazi Rafiqul Alam stressed the need for developing lifeskill among the people to curb the risk of cancer through media campaign.

He also called for establishing more palliative care centres for those who are at incurable stage.

The programme was moderated jointly by Editor Qazi Jahangir Alam and Executive Editor Nurul Karim Nasim of the Financial Mirror while S Ranganathan, country manager of Commercial Bank of Ceylon Ltd, and Nazmul Hassan, chief executive officer of Beximco Pharma, took part in the discussion.