Kashmir’s frail and weak cancer patients struggle to survive

By Nusrat Sidiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - Suhaib Ahmad, a 39-year-old resident of Indian administered Kashmir, was shocked to learn in July last year that he had lung cancer, despite being a non-smoker.

In his months of struggle with the disease, Ahmad has become frail and weak, but he wants to fight it.

Lung cancer is one of the most prominent and deadliest cancers in the Jammu and Kashmir region that impacts nearly 40% of patients, according to health experts.

On the occasion of World Cancer Day, which falls on Feb. 4, Anadolu Agency spoke to patients and health experts about the fallout from the deadly disease in the region.

Ahmad, who is undergoing chemotherapy, says life has become very hard since he was diagnosed with the disease.

"I am in stage 3 of the disease despite being a non-smoker. I was really shocked when my reports came in," he said this during a checkup at the State Cancer Institute, which is part of the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar.

Health experts say that lung cancers are more prominent in people who are chain smokers, but a rare percentage of the disease is also seen in non-smokers.

- Rising cancers

Data from the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences suggests that in the last six to eight years, different types of cancers have been on the rise in the region as well as the number of patients.

Cancer spreading in the Kashmir region has seen drastic changes over the years, according to many research studies.

"A growing sedentary lifestyle and environmental concerns are major factors involved in the increasing number of many cancers in which the incidence of mortality is very high," says a 2020 study on rising trends of cancer incidence in Kashmir.

Cancers like breast, lung, esophageal and stomach cancers are prominent in the region.

Dr. Shaqul Qamar Wani, an associate professor of radiation oncology at a tertiary hospital in the region, told Anadolu Agency that the rising cancers in the Kashmir region cannot be attributed to one cause.

"There are many factors like a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, the use of pesticides, the intake of adulterated foods and no breastfeeding that cause many cancers that could be avoided and prevented," she said.

A 2020 study by Globocan, an online database providing cancer statistics and estimates of incidence, said that worldwide, an estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases and almost 10.0 million cancer deaths occurred in 2020.

"Breast cancer among females and lung cancer among males were found to be the most prominent," said the study.

- Need for infrastructure

The Jammu and Kashmir region, home to an estimated 14 million people, is largely dependent on government health care, but experts say there is an urgent need to bring in more manpower and infrastructure to ease the overburdened hospitals.

Ahmad, who visited the State Cancer Institute in the capital for his medical checkup, had to wait for hours to see his doctor.

"There is a huge rush of patients, and sometimes this takes a mental toll on my health. It is frustrating," he said.

"But what can you do when there are just a few doctors looking after hundreds of patients?”

Dr. Qamar said it is very obvious that there is a need for infrastructure and manpower when you have a huge flow of patients.

"You need more hospitals, paramedical staff, counsellors and doctors and allied structure to keep lethal diseases under check. But unfortunately, we are not up to that point right now," she said.

At one of the tertiary hospitals in the region, since 2018, nearly 5,000 cases of cancer patients have been recorded with a mortality rate of over 60%.

- Late diagnosis and self-medication

"Cancer is the most lethal disease that is killing people here," Dr. Faisal Ahmad, an oncologist, told Anadolu Agency.

He said because of late diagnosis and late screening, patients are dying.

According to experts, it has been observed that patients of such diseases are very late in diagnosing themselves.

They say that many people turn to self-medication before reaching out to a doctor for help.

"In our region, almost 60%-70% of the patients come to hospitals when the disease has already done major damage or is in an advanced stage," said Dr. Ahmad.

"It is because of the stigma and phobia attached to the disease that people don't want to get screened. But unfortunately, at a later stage, it impacts them very badly," he added.

For now, Suhaib Ahmad says he spends most of his time with his 7-year-old daughter to make her happy.

"This disease is very cruel, and you never know when it will get much worse. I want to live this time for my daughter," he said.