24/05/2026
Gastrointestinal (abdominal) cancers are encroaching on our health like never before. Their incidence is rising, especially in the age group between 25 to 50 years. Following facts are noteworthy in these cancers-
1. around 50 to 60 percent of these cancers are related to our lifestyle,
2. more than two thirds of these cancers are diagnosed in the advanced stages, and
3. The mean patient interval i.e the duration between appearnace of 1st symptom/s and consultation with the physician was more than 4 months (124 days)
4. The range of patient interval in early stage diagnosed cancers was 21- 45 days.
(based on our publisehd study on 1859 patients over 10 years- pic attached).
Based on these findings "Abdominal Cancer Day- 19th May" was founded in 2019 in Jaipur with the aim of creating awareness on- how improving our lifestyle can significantly reduce the risk of these cancers, and how important it is to get consultation with the specialist for abdominal syptoms (even for non-specific ones) if persisting for more than 2 to 3 weeks so as to catch these cancers in early stages.
This year (2026), we had awareness walkathon in 11 cities of India on 17th May and a scientific discussion on the theme of Preventive GI Oncology with 250 clinicians on 19th May, in Jaipur.
We are grateful to the Government dignitaries who have supported this cause- Governor of Rajasthan Sh Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde, Health Minister Rajasthan Sh Gajendra Singh, HH Sawai Padmanabh Singh, Chairman Rajasthan Finance Commission Sh Arun Chaturvedi, President Yuva Sanskriti Sansthan Pt Suresh Mishra.
Scientific panel included Prof V K Kapur, Prof Saraswat, Prof S S Sharma, Prof S Nijhawan, Prof R Pokerna, Prof RK Jenaw, Dr Dinesh Agarwal, Dr M Kalla, Dr R Bhojwani, Dr Shalu, Dr Monika, Dr Kalia, Dr Daga, Dr Sudhir, Dr Jaya, Dr Naimesh, Dr Bharti, Dr Anant, Dr Vipin, Dr Sultania, Dr Shrimal .......We are grateful to them for their insightful discussions.
I am thankful to our partners without whom support this event wouldnot have been possible- Jaipur medical association, Gut club jaipur, ASI Rajasthan chapter, Jaipur Society of Anesthesiologisrs, Fortis hospital, yuva sanskriti sansthan, IIEMR, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronics, Healthium, Zova Italia, Fujifim, Olympus
Attached are the glimses of the events held this year on 17th and 19th May.
UNLESS WE TACKLE THE HUMAN FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RISING INCIDENCE AND LATE STAGE DIAGNOSIS, no advancement can help reduce the incidence of these cancers.
Hope that this drive gains momentum and people dont become victim of their own ignorance......
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