KATHMANDU, APRIL 4

Experts and representatives from Southeast Asia emphasised at the Third International Head and Neck Oncology with Esthetics Conference here that cancer of the head and neck is on the spike.

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The conference kicked off today with experts and representatives from Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and others and is scheduled to end tomorrow.

Dr Ananda Rathnayake from Sri Lanka expressed that oral cancer is a growing and serious problem in many parts of the globe. 'It is the 16th most common cancer overall and the 11th most common cancer in men,' he said. 'The major risk of such cancers is the complex interplay of genetic mutations, epigenetics and environmental factors.'

Dr Dipshikha Bajracharya, organising secretary of the conference, stated, 'Cancer of the head and neck is on the rise, according to Nepal Cancer Hospital. Which demands the rise of head and neck faculties. As a result, Kantipur Dental College and GSL Institute have collaborated to organise the first ever such conference in Nepal to address and raise awareness through mutual sharing.'

She also stated that this conference has brought experts and doctors from Sri Lanka, India and other countries to share their expertise related to head and neck cancer.

Dr Buddhi Man Shrestha emphasised that cancer of the head and neck is one of the prominent problems in Nepal. 'Thus, Kantipur Dental College and GSL Educational Institute from India have come together to expand awareness on this issue.'

According to Shrestha, the increasing trend of neck and head cancer has been observed in Nepal due to smoking and smokeless tobacco consumption. 'It is more prevalent in the Tarai belt of Nepal,' he added.

Dr Deepak Sapkota, professor at the University of Oslo, highlighted that cancer is the second most common disease in Nepal's context. It's a huge problem in India, particularly in southeast Asia.

'There are many known reasons for spike reasons such as the use of smoking and smokeless tobacco but there are also cases related to genetics which we don't know yet. People might have some genetic changes that make them more susceptible to getting cancer,' he said.

According to him, in order to prevent this, we must educate people and healthcare professionals about the importance of quitting these habits. 'Again, frequent screening is important because it may be difficult for them to quit their habits, but if they can reduce and receive an investigation or examination of their oral cavity on a regular basis, it will be detected as early as possible.'