COLOMBO (News 1st): The rate of Oral Cancer patients in Sri Lanka has increased by ninefold within the past two decades, the National Cancer Control Programme said on Tuesday (Jul. The 27th of July has been declared as the ‘World Head and Neck Cancer Day’ by the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncology Societies. Around 2700 Oral Cancer patients are detected in the country every year, Consultant Community Physician Dr. Janaki Vidanapathirana, the Director at the National Cancer Control Programme told News 1st. According to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health, Oral Cancer is the most prominent cancer among males, amounting to 15 percent of all male cancers, while it is the 08th most common cancer amongst the country’s female population. Once it reaches this stage, it is very difficult to treat oral cancer,” Consultant Community Physician Dr. Janaki Vidanapathirana stressed.

Source: The Nation July 27, 2021 03:45 UTC