Stressful and erratic lifestyle, mothers not nursing babies adequately, smoking and pollution have put women at higher risk of developing breast cancer with health experts warning the situation has already reached an "alarming" level in the country.
Over a lakh new incidences of breast cancer are occurring in India annually, and doctors say, with "changing lifestyle" and "work regimen", the cases will continue to rise.
"Women in big cities, both housewives and working, are more susceptible to getting breast cancer. Routine smoking and alcohol consumption, pollution, anxiety and erratic lifestyle already make them prone to the disease.
"But, late marriage, junk and packaged food consumption, and mothers not breastfeeding babies enough are also among the factors contributing to them getting afflicted by this cancer," Senior Consultant in Medical Oncology at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Dr Shyam Aggarwal told PTI.
The entire October month is observed as breast cancer awareness month, and hospitals, health institutions and NGOs around the world, hold various programmes to raise awareness about the disease.
Breast cancer is the top cancer in women both in the developed and the developing world. Its incidence is rising in the developing world due to increased life expectancy, growing urbanisation and adoption of western lifestyles, according to World Health Organisation.
Dr Deepa Tayal, Empanelled Consultant (Breast & General Surgery) at Fortis La Femme says, "Up until few years ago it was uterine cancer, but now it's definitely breast cancer on the top."
"Anxiety due to stress at home or workplace, irregular eating and sleeping habits, routine smoking and alcohol consumption, and pollution are contributing to women developing breast cancer.
"Some of these conditions also trigger obesity, and therefore obesity is one of the factors that one can say make women prone to breast cancer indirectly, but there is no direct link established yet," she said.
Though women aged 30-35 and above are generally more susceptible to it, doctors say, cases of women as young as 20-25 and as old as 75-80 are also being diagnosed with it.
"Breast cancer in young are more aggressive compared to those in elderly where it is more indolent and lingers on. Also, now the mammography is showing lumps as small as less than 1 cm. Previously, when high-tech apparatus was not there, lumps found were sized 5 cm or so," Aggarwal said.
Dr Ramesh Sarin, Consultant Oncologist at Apollo Hospital in Delhi says, "The situation in India is absolutely alarming. Late marriage, one child, no marriage, sedentary lifestyle, or working next to computer for long time, are making matters worse. In rural areas, though cervical cancer is still more prevalent than breast cancer," she said.
Doctors also said though the taboo attached to breast
cancer is largely disappearing, especially in urban areas, many women still feel hesitant to tell family or approach doctors.
"Women earlier were also not coming for screening or treatment fearing their breast would be removed. But, now with breast restoration procedure, the patient's body part can be shaped back. So, more patients are coming for screening now," Dr Aggarwal of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said.
"65-70 per cent women do not want their breast to be removed. And, in total mastectomy, both the breasts are surgically removed. But, now, there is also an option for breast reconstruction surgery, which many women can take up after chemotherapy and radiation therapy," he added.
Emphasising the importance of "preventive check-up", Tayal says, if women start coming early for screening, we can combat the disease before it slips into "menacing phase".
According to WHO, though some risk reduction might be achieved with prevention, these strategies cannot eliminate the majority of breast cancers that develop in low-income and middle-income countries where it is diagnosed at very late stage.
"Therefore, early detection in order to improve breast cancer outcome and survival remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control," the WHO says.
As per estimates, India faces incidences of nearly 11 lakh of all kinds of cancer annually, out of which head-and-neck cancer include around 2.5-3 lakh cases.
Although breast cancer is thought to be a disease of the developed world, almost 50 per cent of breast cancer cases and 58 per cent of deaths occur in less developed countries, as per estimates of GLOBOCAN (a web portal for international cancer research) in 2008.
"Still a lot need to be done to raise awareness, especially in rural areas, where the level of awareness is very poor. But, sometimes, we get shocking cases in big cities too. One of the patients, who was brought to our hospital was a lady who was about 75 years old.
"And, her breast cancer stage was so advanced, that she had maggots. And, she was wife of a retired judge and from a well-off family. But, it clearly shows that a lot needs to be done in urban areas too," Sarin said.
Tayal said common warning signs for breast cancer are swelling in the breast, painful or painless lumps, coloured discharge from nipples, blood or coloured discharge with milk in lactating mother, fatigue and unexplained fever.
"Of the patients coming to Ganga Ram, 70-80 per cent are from Delhi-NCR and rest from small towns in neighbouring regions like Jhajjhar, Rewari," Aggarwal said.
