Women and Cancer

Cancer is one of the frequently talked about and most feared disease that falls under the genre of lifestyle diseases that have evolved, rather rapidly, in the past two decades. The disease, which was earlier - in its initial years of discovery - dubbed as the death sentence for the person diagnosed with it, has now become more manageable, thanks to the fervent efforts of researchers and oncologists. Though science has made rapid strides to evolve many preventive and curative strategies to fight cancer, it has not been able to break the fear and confusion that surrounds a person when diagnosed with the disease.

One of the recent concerns plaguing the field of cancer study or Oncology is the increasing number of women who are being diagnosed with Cancer. It is estimated that the number of cervical cancer deaths in women in India is likely to rise to 79,000 by the year 2010, while the number of deaths due to breast cancer and oral cancer would rise to 59,000 and 53,000 respectively. While breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, cervical cancer comes a close second and is a leading cause of cancer-related death in women in underdeveloped countries. Studies further confirm that the world over, for all cancers combined, prevalence in women is higher than in men.