Referring to the number of cancer patients at the NHAK, the doctor said that out of the many who comes for treatment in a week, ‘two to three persons’ are cancer patients. ‘It is really very sad that there are very few of us, who take initiative in combating against this menacing disease,’ he said.

According to Katiry, there is a need to spread and forward ‘awareness messages’ about cancer because when a person is diagnosed with cancer, he/she tends to lose all hopes.

The state being located in the easternmost part of the country, timely examinations and diagnosis are not possible, he admitted. However, with advancement in technology and in human sciences, he was hopeful that the disease could be cured, provided early detection is prioritised.

Katiry advocated adopting the ‘values and lifestyles’ of the forefathers during which cancer was never heard of. The present generation’s unhealthy food habits and lifestyle, he said, should be discarded.

The principal investigator of Population Based Cancer Registry (PBCR), Dr. Vinitsole Khamo gave a presentation on ‘cancer awareness’. Expressing dismay at what she said was poor health maintenance among women, Dr. Khamo said: “Most of the women are conscious about beauty but not health. Cancer is a disease about which everyone should be conscious about.”

She cited some of the most common forms of cancer among women including, cervix (19.09%), stomach (13.64%), breast (11.82%), nasopharynx (10.91%). Meanwhile, in male category, some of the common cancers types are nasopharynx (19.27%), stomach (17.45), and oropharynx (16.06). Across the globe, she said, more than two hundred types of cancer are diagnosed every day.

“If detected early it (cancer) can be cured completely,” Khamo said, attributing this possibility to new inventions and advancement in medical science. She also said that proper awareness of the disease lead to early detection, which, in turn will lead to proper and complete treatment.

She also suggested some measures that could help protect oneself from cancer, which included, healthy food and proper nutrition, less exposure to sunlight, physical activities and daily exercise; avoiding artificial food, alcohol and tobacco; and proper hygiene.

Earlier during the programme, students from the NHAK’s School of Nursing presented a welcome song. Dr. Lalkrawsthangi Khalo presided over the event and Zuchamo Patton delivered the vote of thanks.