‘Fear prevents rural patientsfrom cancer follow-up’

A little more than one fourth of the people, who are suspected to have cancer at screening camps in the rural areas, go for follow-up, while others skip it mostly out of fear and in some cases due to indifference, according to medical oncologists at Manipal Hospitals, Vijayawada, G. Krishna Reddy.

He said Manipal Hospitals in association with several NGOs has screened 10,500 people for cancer free of cost in Andhra Pradesh in the past one-and-half-years. Out of 616 suspected cases, only 160 actually went to hospitals to confirm whether they had cancer. Out of the 160 who came for a follow-up, 29 were diagnosed with cancer and prescribed drugs, Dr. Reddy said.