Shaukat Khanum Hospital Specialists on Cancers caused by Tobacco use in Pakistan
Unless action is taken, smoking will kill over a billion people in the 21st century. And 80% of these deaths will occur in low and middle-income countries like Pakistan.
Tobacco use is the most preventable cause of death and illness in the world today. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), smoking tobacco kills one person every four seconds. We spoke to Dr Irtaza Khan, our Consultant Pulmonologist at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital about the high incidence of cancer caused by tobacco use in Pakistan and the success rate of treatment for lung cancer.
Dr Khan, how harmful is tobacco use?
“Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, of which 250 are extremely harmful and up to 50 are known to cause cancer. A high incidence of lung cancer is linked to smoking. Nearly 70% of lung cancer patients treated at Shaukat Khanum Hospitals since 2007 had a history of tobacco use.
“The WHO claims that smoking is responsible for over 80% of all lung cancers worldwide. Generally, the prognosis for those afflicted is poor because they are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage.”
Can tobacco use cause other types of cancer?
“Yes. Tobacco use can also lead to cancers in the bladder, kidneys, uterus, cervix, breast, pancreas, colon, and the lip and oral cavity. A recent WHO report cites that oral cancer is the second most common cancer in Pakistan and data from our cancer registry confirms this. Lip and oral cavity cancer topped all cancers in adult males and was the third most common across all ages at our hospitals in 2010. Our data also revealed that nearly 40% of all oral cancer patients seen in the last 5 years had a history of tobacco use.”
How come the rate of oral cancer is so high in Pakistan?
“The WHO report claims that the high incidence of oral cancer in Pakistan is linked to the use of smokeless tobacco, which is a culturally acceptable habit. Common smokeless forms of tobacco which are used in Pakistan include paan/betel with tobacco, chalia/supari, naswar and gutka.
“Statistics from 7,292 patients across five hospitals, including Shaukat Khanum Hospitals, show that there were more smokeless tobacco users than tobacco smokers in Pakistan: 37.4% and 23.6%, respectively. While 4.2% of people used both. The report also points out that a smokeless tobacco user is four times more likely to get oral cancer than someone with no history of tobacco use, and two times more likely than someone who smokes cigarettes.”
How curable is lung cancer?
“In Pakistan, we lack the proper diagnostic facilities to identify lung cancer in its early stages and it is often misdiagnosed as tuberculosis. By the time patients show up at Shaukat Khanum Hospitals, it’s usually too late.
“However, when diagnosed early, the chance of surviving another five years is 73% while most patients with advanced lung cancer are usually given between six months to a year at best.”
Is all lung cancer caused by smoking?
“No. But smoking increases the risk of lung cancer greatly. The best option is to quit. While the lungs of a past smoker may not ever be as healthy as those of a never-smoker, the risk of lung cancer declines over time.”
So what’s the best way forward in the fight against cancer?
“Controlling and eventually eliminating tobacco use is our goal and awareness about its harmful effects needs to spread. While the former can be achieved by banning tobacco advertisements and its use in public places and by increasing taxes, the latter is the responsibility of organisations like Shaukat Khanum Hospitals.
“In previous campaigns, we’ve enlisted the help of celebrities like tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, and cricket superstar Shahid Afridi. In these campaigns, they give us all a ‘healthy’ reminder that tobacco harms the body and we have the choice to stop using it.”
Get Involved this Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Did you find this post helpful? Why not help us raise awareness this Lung Cancer Awareness month? Here are some ways:
Take the challenge! If you smoke, sign up for our Quit Smoking Challenge this November. Depending on how confident you are, sign up for a day, a week, 10 days or the whole month! Get friends and family to sponsor your efforts and raise funds for lung cancer patients in Pakistan. Share your quit-smoking moments with us by using #quitsmokingchallenge. Give us a call to sign up today: 01274 424 444.
Share this post! Protect your family and friends by telling them about it or post this and our other lung cancer awareness resources on Facebook and Twitter. You could be two clicks away from saving someone’s life.
Do you or does someone you know want to quit smoking? Help is available.
Consult your physician or GP who will be able to advise you about nicotine products which can suppress withdrawal symptoms.
For more information about lung cancer and its risks, download the Shaukat Khanum Hospital Lung Cancer Information leaflet.
You may also find the NHS quit smoking app and other resources useful, available here.