Oral cancer the sixth commonest cancer in the world has turned to be the second most common type of cancer in Pakistan with almost 45 percent of new cases pertaining to age group between 20 years to 30 years.
Dr Mohammad Umar Farooq, Head of Department of E.N.T. Unit-III, Lyari General Hospital, Dow University of Health Sciences in his presentation "Oral Cancer: An Epidemic in the Making", at a session organised at Pakistan Medical Association Karachi, here on June 24 attributed the scenario to rampant consumption of severely hazardous chemicals available in form of sweetened and coloured supari, gutka, pan masala etc.
It was mentioned that no less than 122 different brands of Sweetened Supari was available in the local market, which in its preparations included artificial colours meant for tannery industry.
Apart from branded items which themselves were not fit for human consumption there were also said to be hundreds of other unbranded products known as gutka and pan masala, that were much more hazardous and lethal, yet very easily accessible to masses. Many of these products smuggled from a neighbouring country till recent past was now being locally prepared.
The senior medical professional referring to cases being frequently brought to varied ENT departments of Sindh based hospitals said surge was invariably registered in the cases of sub-mucous fibrosis among kids as young as 15 years, who had to be operated upon as jaws could not function properly preventing opening of mouth for even food consumption.
Large majority of the patients have to be put on liquid and its implication in the most crucial period of physical growth can be well imagined, Dr Umer Farooq commented. The ENT Surgeon suggested for absolute ban on availability of the hazardous items and strong will power among the masses themselves to boy-cot hazardous products.
He said implications of varied connotations of betel nut, tobacco lime and artificially prepared addictives could be well gauged from the fact that while international incidence rate of oral cancers is a mere two percent in the sub-continent it comes to 45 percent.
Dr Umer said that since all health conditions, including mouth ulcers, are first referred to family physicians, it was important that the doctors finding any ulcer un-healed even after fifteen days must immediately refer the case to specialists.
During the panel discussion, followed by the presentation, panellists including Fatima Surraiya Bajia (Advisor to the Sindh Chief Minister), Dr Tipu Sultan (Former Head of Surgical ICU and Anesthesiology Department, Civil Hospital), Dr Aziz Ahmed Khan Tank (President, Pakistan College of Family Medicine), Dr Qaiser Sajjad (Consultant ENT Surgeon, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital) recommended need to contain the culture of serving sweetened supari and pan masala on occasions like marriages.
Panelists regretted indifference of authorities towards the issue and suggested need to sensitise masses about the severity of the issue and also motivate them evolves pressure groups so as to get imposed ban on products severely effecting health status of the people of Pakistan.
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