Jaipur, February 4: Rajasthan health minister Parsadi Lal Meena on Friday said tobacco is not the only reason behind cancer because there are people who consume tobacco or smoke but do not get cancer.

“Those who do not consume tobacco also get cancer. It also happens that those who heavily consume tobacco do not get this disease,” he told reporters after addressing a seminar on World Cancer Day here. World Cancer Day 2022: Fear of Chemotherapy Delays Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Say Experts.

“I live in village and there are people who consume tobacco 20 times a day, but they never become cancer patients in their life, even after 100 years, 80 years, whereas those who do not consume become cancer patients,” he said. The minister was replying to a query about the government's efforts to curb use of tobacco.

He said cancer can happen to anyone and it is for the doctors to describe the causes in detail. Earlier in the day, the minister said that cancer was detected in 278 patients during a screening of 4,000 persons done by Early Detection Vans in the last two months in the state.

He said camps are being organised up to the Panchayat level for early detection and treatment of cancer in the state. “In the last two months, nine camps have been organised by these vans, out of which more than 278 cancer patients were found after screening 4000 people.

“They were advised to get admitted to hospitals for treatment,” he said.

Meena said that the vans are not only going from village to village to screen and treat people, but are also making people aware of cancer.

He said that early detection and early treatment of cancer is the only prevention. He directed the officers to conduct effective screening of patients in Cancer Care Units located in all district hospitals.

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