Vibha Bhatti, wife of city-based businessman Mahesh Bhatti, was shocked when she was asked to return to Gujarat Cancer Research Institute (GCRI) for a few more tests after she volunteered for cancer screening as part of a social initiative last year. She had no complaints, no symptoms but was found to have a lesion which was found to be cancer of the uterus.
Vibha was one of the 15,998 persons — relatives accompanying cancer patients and other members of general public — who were screened for cancer till December 31, 2022 as part of a initiative by GCRI.
Oncologist Dr Anand Shah said they found 19 cancer cases. More surprisingly, they found 1,000-plus cases wherein ‘healthy’ persons had potentially pre-cancerous disorders.
The number 19 is higher than the national prevalence of cancer, too, said GCRI officials. From 16,000 persons with no symptoms, it gives prevalence of 119 cases of cancer per 1 lakh population, which is higher than 100 for India. Dr Shashank Pandya, director of GCRI, said that the message for the World Cancer Day is to stress on early detection and treatment.
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