Mumbai Doctors Warn of Rising Oral Cancer Cases Among Young Adults in India
Mumbai doctors are highlighting rising concern about oral cancer among young adults in India, Mid-Day reported. Oral cancer is no longer limited to older adults, and younger people are increasingly being diagnosed with it, the report said. Tobacco, gutka, areca nut and other harmful habits contribute to the risk, along with delayed medical attention, according to Mid-Day. With National Cancer Awareness Day observed on November 7, cancer specialists are urging young adults not to ignore unusual changes in the mouth.
Early Warning Indicators and Clinical Symptoms
Health experts urge people to recognise early warning signs such as non-healing mouth ulcers, white or red patches in the mouth and difficulty swallowing, and to seek timely medical evaluation, Mid-Day reported. Dr. Antony Raj James urges people to seek immediate medical evaluation for non-healing mouth ulcers, unexplained neck lumps, or swallowing difficulties rather than resorting to delayed consultation, according to The Indian Practitioner. Dr James, a head and neck oncosurgeon at Apex Group of Hospitals in Mumbai, said many patients reach specialists only after the disease has progressed to an advanced stage, and that persistent hoarseness, voice changes and unusual growths in the mouth also need medical evaluation rather than self-medication. He named tobacco in any form, including cigarettes, gutka, pan masala and chewing tobacco, as a major risk factor for oral and head and neck cancers, and said excessive alcohol can also increase the risk, the report said.
Early Detection and the Scale of Cancer in India
Cancer specialists say early detection can significantly improve treatment outcomes. According to 2022 GLOBOCAN estimates, there were approximately 14.13 lakh new cancer cases and 9.16 lakh cancer-related deaths in India, with oral cancer accounting for 1,43,759 new cases as the second most common cancer across both genders. A study at the National Institute of Pathology (ICMR) in New Delhi, covering 2001 to 2012, recorded a six-fold rise in oral lesion cases over that period and found high-grade oral squamous cell carcinoma more often among younger patients, according to the Journal of Family Medicine and Community Health.