India Reports 1.75 Lakh New cases of Head & Neck Cancers Every Year: Dr Vijay Jagad

By 121 News

Chandigarh, July 26, 2025:- On the eve of Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Day a team of doctors from PARK Hospital Mohali including Dr. Harinderpal Singh director medical oncology, Dr Vijay Jagad senior consultant surgical oncology and Dr Jobanjit Kaur consultant radiation oncology shared various facts about head & neck cancer during a press conference here on Saturday.

Dr ( Brig) Harinderpal Singh said that 30 lakh people in India suffer from cancer, of which 14 lakh are new cases with cancer claiming 9.10 lakh lives each year in India. Talking about head & neck cancer he said that it is a form of cancer, which is largely driven by our lifestyle choices & addiction to betel nut-chewing, tobacco and alcohol consumption, maintaining poor oral hygiene.

With lifestyle tweaks and by avoiding tobacco, head & neck cancer can be prevented. In India which is the world capital of head and neck cancer, the focus should be on prevention and early detection as well.

PARK Hospitals is North India's biggest super specialty hospital network with 19 hospitals,3500 beds, 800 ICU beds , 14 cath labs, 45 modular OTs  and over 1000 doctors.

Dr Vijay Jagad shared thatIt may appear unbelievable that 50% of cancers in men and 20% in women can directly be attributed to tobacco use India continues to report the highest prevalence of oral cancers globally with1.75 lakh new cases reported every year. Chewing tobacco and gutkha contribute to 90 percent of oral cancer cases in the country. 

He added that head and neck cancers originate near the throat, neck, voice box, mouth, and sinuses. It usually begins in the cells, which line these parts of the body.

 

iDr Jobanjit Kaur informed that minimally invasive surgeries, organ preservation techniques, and advances in radiotherapy and medical oncology have added value to the treatment of cancers with curative intent, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality.

Ashish Chadha, group CEO North PARK Hospitals said that Grecian Park Hospital Mohali was the first hospital in tricity to start comprehensive cancer care under one room. The patients from Mohali, Chandigarh Panchkula, Yamauananagar, Ambala, Ropar, Nawanshahr, Patiala, Karnal, Kaithal, Solan & Shimla are immensely benefited from this. We are now also empaneled with Haryana and Himachal governments, ECHS ,  CGHS, Ayushman and all major TPAS & corporates for cancer treatment, Ashish informed.

General signs of head and neck cancer:

• A lump on the back of neck, jaw or mouth
• A mouth ulcer
• Pain or weakness in the face
• Neck pain
• Difficulty moving the jaw
• Difficulty swallowing
• Speech problems
• Ear pain or hearing loss

Common risk factors:

·         Tobacco use

·         Alcohol consumption

·         Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection for oropharyngeal cancer

·         Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection for nasopharyngeal cancer.