Mysore/Mysuru: As part of World Cancer Day, Bharath Hospital and Institute of Oncology (BHIO), in association with Cycle Pure Agarbathi, had organised Hope-A-Thon, a Torchlight Parade from Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple at the North Gate of Mysore Palace in city yesterday.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. B.S. Ajaikumar, Managing Director of BHIO and Executive Chairman of HCG Hospital, said: “In 2022 alone, India had 14.61 lakh people who developed cancer and it was one of the leading causes of death for India. By 2025, India is expected to have 29 million cancer cases. Karnataka alone had nearly 90,000 cancer cases in 2021 and an Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) study says Karnataka’s cancer cases will go up by another 90,000 by the year 2025. We at BHIO and HCG see an increasing number of lung cancers daily. As a cancer specialist, I can say with conviction that tobacco is one of the single largest contributors to people getting cancer. Mere tobacco control will not do. It must be banned to save lives.”
