Why Pakistan is the 2nd Country in The World With Oral Cancer Patients

Cancer is a type of disease that refers to the uncontrollable growth of cells that invade other cells and damage them. Similarly, oral cancer refers to the growth of cells in the mouth that creates soreness in the mouth, which does not go away. Oral cancer includes a lot of different types of cancers such as lip cancer, tongue cancer, cheeks cancer, sinuses, hard and soft palate, the floor of the mouth, and pharynx cancer. All of the cancers that are mentioned previously can become life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated at an early stage.

According to many dentists in Karachi, there are multiple symptoms of oral cancer such as swellings, thickenings, rough spots, bumps or lumps, crusts, eroded areas on the lips, gums, and others areas inside the mouth. The development of velvety white, speckled or red patches in the mouth could be another symptom of oral cancer. Moreover, a person suffering from oral cancer will also go through unexplained bleeding in the mouth, numbness, pain in any area of the face, neck or mouth, and loss of feeling. The person will get persistent sources on the face, mouth and neck that bleeds easily. Other symptoms are such as dramatic weight loss, ear pain, a change in the way your teeth or dentures fit together, chronic sore throat, change in voice, hoarseness, difficulty in swallowing or chewing, speaking, difficulty in moving the tongue or jaw, and lastly, soreness or a feeling that is something is caught in the back of the throat.

 

All over the world, according to the WHO, around 657,000 people suffer from oral cancer on an yearly basis and over 330,000 of those people die each year. There are many countries that have the highest rate of oral cancer. The first one is Papua New Guinea which is followed by Pakistan. Pakistan is the 2nd country in the world that has the most oral cancer patients. In 2018, it was recorded that almost 122,000 people had suffered from oral cancer. And as of 2020, almost 17 thousand people had oral cancer. From which, 12 thousand cases were males and the rest were females. According to Agha Khan University Hospital as well to this fact, men face twice the risk of developing oral cancer compared to women, and that, men who are over the age of 50 faces the greatest risk of developing oral cancer.

Furthermore, over 6000 new oral cancer patients get registered in the Karachi Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine, also known as Kiran, every year, and around 35 percent of these cases of oral cases are due to the uncontrolled usage of tobacco.

According to many experts such as the Agha khan university hospital or the Kiran, there are many reasons why Pakistan is on the 2nd number of highest oral cancer patients. Here are some of those reasons:

1. The usage of smokeless tobacco
One of the major reasons behind Pakistan being on the 2nd number is that most of the Pakistanis use tobacco on an extreme level. According to dentists, users of dip, snuff, chewing tobacco, paan, Gutka, Chalia are 50 times more likely to develop cancers of the cheek, gums, and lining of the lips. Most of the poor class and even some higher class population use tobacco daily which is really harmful to their health and they end up developing oral cancer. Moreover, according to a study that was conducted by the SDPI in 2018-2019, almost 24 million people use tobacco in Pakistan daily.


2. Smoking
Similar to the usage of tobacco, people who smoke cigarettes, cigars or pipe smokers are almost six times more likely to develop oral cancer compared to people who do not smoke. According to a study in 2015, over 18 percent of men, 1 percent of women, and 9.6 percent of the adult population in Pakistan smoke daily.

Conclusion
It is April right now, and April is the oral cancer awareness month. Therefore, you must spread awareness this month as a Pakistani. If you cannot do that then, the least you could do is visit a dentist at the Altamash clinic