Relatives of patients diagnosed with cancer due to tobacco use are more likely to smoke or chewing tobacco despite knowing the truth

An estimated 80 lakh people worldwide die each year from tobacco-related diseases, of which 12 million innocent people die from the effects of second-hand smoke.

A strange truth has come to light in the cancer treatment department of Sayaji Hospital. Relatives of patients who have been diagnosed with cancer due to tobacco use, despite knowing this truth, are more likely to smoke or chewing tobacco. Under this condition, known as denial mode, they believe that no matter what happens to their relatives, nothing will happen to them.

There is nothing wrong in saying that tobacco use is a fatal habit, given the potential for having cancer, asthma, tuberculosis, smoking, constricting blood vessels, heart disease and brain diseases.

The World No Tobacco Day is observed in UNO member states from 1987 on May 31 every year to warn people against the direct and indirect ill effects of tobacco use. On this day people are given the message to stay away from deadly tobacco.

Linking the corona crisis and the side effects of tobacco use, Dr. Anil Goyal, Sayaji Hospital's head of radiation oncology, says that people who smoke are 50 per cent more likely to have severe covid and death from it because the lungs of such people are already affected due to smoking. He says that the first inquiries of those who come to us for cancer treatment are about their smoking habit.

According to him, smoking or chewing tobacco causes cancer of the mouth, gallbladder, palate, or jaw and throat, as well as cancers of the respiratory tract, esophagus and larynx. In addition, women are more likely to get cancer of the gallbladder, uterus, cervix and urinary bladder. The number of women who use tobacco in the form of gutkha or other forms of sneezing is almost the same as that of men. The deadly elements of tobacco are absorbed in the body and almost all the organs and also contaminates Nucleus and DNA.

Dr. Anil states that cancer is a disease that occurs due to various reasons. Tobacco use alone does not cause cancer, but it's use increases the risk. This means that the relative risk of cancer is higher in such people.

He said, Last year their department received an estimated 350 cases of cancer out of which tobacco was found responsible in about 300 cases. Tobacco has been implicated in about 30 to 40 cases of cervical cancer and an estimated 50 to 40 cases of lung cancer.

Patients coming to this department and their families are counselled by the counselor about the ill effects of tobacco and the need to quit. It has been observed that from the age of 14 or 15, the youths are into habit of smoking or drinking as they think the elders consume so they do.

This year's theme for Tobacco Prohibition Day is Quit Tobacco to be the winner. Really quitting tobacco can make many people victorious in the battle of life. Thus, tobacco use is a habit that is detrimental to the health of not just one person but a generation. The only good for mankind is to keep distance from it.