Cancer is a large group of diseases that can start in almost any organ or tissue of the body when abnormal cells grow uncontrollably, go beyond their usual boundaries to invade adjoining parts of the body and/or spread to other organs. Cancer is one of the emerging major public health problems that affect millions of people around the world, including India. A neoplasm and malignant tumour are other common names for cancer. A lavender ribbon is usually a sign of support for those living with all types of cancer. Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 9.6 million (96 lakh) deaths. In recent years, the incidence of cancer has been steadily increasing in India. ICMR “National Cancer Registry Programme” data shows approx. 3.65 million (36.5 Lakh) people are affected with cancer in india, 1.5 million (15 Lakh) new cases are diagnosed each year and approximately 0.8 million (80,000) deaths are reported due to cancer. The six common highly curable childhood cancers (i.e., with 5 year overall survival) viz. Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (86%), Burkitt lymphoma (90%), Hodgkin lymphoma (95%), Retinoblastoma (96%), Wilms tumour (80%) and Low-grade glioma (>85%), together these represent 50-60% of all childhood cancers and are the initial focus of Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer.

Cancer is a leading cause of death for children and adolescents worldwide. According to WHO, it is estimated that approximately 4,00,000 (4 Lakh) children (0-19 years) are diagnosed with cancer annually across the globe. Most of these children live in low – and middle – income countries (LMICs) where treatment is not available/affordable leading to wide disparity in survival of childhood cancers (30% in LMICs vs 80% in HICs). As per the report of National Cancer Registry Program (2020), the incidence of cancer in India is approx. 15 lakh (9% of the total deaths in India). Among males, cancers of lung, mouth, oesophagus and stomach are the leading sites across most of the registries. Among females, breast cancer is the commonest cancer followed by cervical cancer.

A carcinogen is a substance, organism, or agent that can cause cancer. Carcinogens can be found in the environment, in food, and in the workplace. Ultraviolet rays tobacco, automobile exhaust fumes, arsenic, lead, cadmium, uranium, some pesticides alcohol and metallic pollutants such as manganese are considered as potent carcinogens. Tobacco consumption in India either as chewing tobacco or smoking tobacco account for 50% of all cancers in men in addition to that dietary practices and reproductive and sexual practices that account for 20-30% of cancers. More than 4 million (40 Lakh) people die prematurely every year in the world from illnesses attributable to household air pollution from cooking with solid fuels, 6% of these deaths are from lung cancer globally.........

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