A 60% of cases leading to cancer are attributed to tobacco consumption in India. What is more alarming is the rise of non-smoking related habits such as chewing tobacco and usage of snuff as major contributors on a par with smoking.

Speaking to The Hindu on the eve of ‘World No Tobacco Day’, Dr. Prasanth expressed concern over an increasing number of women unknowingly falling prey to the monstrous ailment.

What the unsuspecting rural women, especially daily wage earners, chew as ‘Katlapodi’ contains tobacco, which is presumed to be betel nut powder. “The female patients arriving here swear to have never consumed tobacco, but they did not know tobacco is the main ingredient in Katlapodi”, he said, underlining the need to create awareness in the society.

While tobacco is blamed mostly for cancer in oral cavity, throat and lungs, its effect goes much beyond.

“Smoking causes cancer not just in oral cavity, throat and lungs, but also in oesophagus, stomach and is identified to be a major risk factor for cancer in kidney, pancreas and urinary bladder too,” said Dr. Prasanth Penumadu, Medical Director of Sri Venkateswara Institute of Cancer Care & Advanced Research (SVICCAR), Tirupati.

A unit of TATA Cancer Care Foundation and supported by TATA Trusts, SVICCAR was established in Tirupati in partnership with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).

Cessation clinic

The institute plans to launch a ‘Tobacco Cessation Clinic’ soon to reach out to those willing to shun smoking or chewing tobacco.

Queried if the patients could undergo withdrawal syndrome, Dr. Prasanth said the clinic would take care of those daring to kick the habit. “The first step to quit tobacco is to quit”, was his determined reply. He called e-cigarettes as yet another addiction, though sans nicotine.