AsianScientist (Sep. 10, 2014) – Biocon Ltd, a biopharmaceuticals company headquartered in India, has successfully run “Free Oral Screening Camps”, a campaign intended to screen people for oral cancer and create awareness about the disease.
Oncologists and nurses conducted oral screening across various centers in 23 Indian cities, namely Bangalore, Mangalore, Hubli, Coimbatore, Kankanady, Hissar, Mohali, Nashik, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Patna, Kochi, Jaipur, Indore, Bhopal, Cuttack, Kanpur, Lucknow, Jalandhar and Aurangbad.
Talking about Biocon’s drive against cancer, Mr. Shukrit Chimote, vice president and head of branded formulations, India, said, “As India’s leading oncology company, Biocon has been making a significant impact in the area of cancer care through its affordable, life-saving therapies.”
“Through this initiative we hope to educate a large number of Indians on the risk factors associated with this killer disease and encourage them to get regular oral screening by qualified doctors, as a means of early cancer detection, that can lead to better treatment outcomes.”
Oral cancer accounts for 30 percent of all cancers in India, with about 77,000 new cases being diagnosed annually. Tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption contribute to 90 percent of oral cancers, awareness about the risk factors can go a long way in helping prevent the disease. Early detection of oral cancer through screening programs could mean better treatment outcomes and longer survival. Oral cancer has an overall 52 percent survival rate after five years, but when detected early the rate increases to above 80 percent.
Developing countries like India are challenged with a much larger disease burden due to aging populations and rising incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes, cancer and autoimmune disorders. Among the NCDs, cancer is the second largest cause of death in India. Biocon has also been addressing the problem of cancer in the country through its CSR interventions aimed at early detection of cervical cancer and oral cancer among marginalized communities and their management in secondary and tertiary stages.
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Source: Biocon.
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