President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday voiced concern over the unabated spread of cancer and said steps taken against it were inadequate."The unabated spread of cancer continues to be a matter of great concern," he said while laying the foundation stone of a State Cancer Institute at the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology here."The incidence of cancer has been increasing worldwide and India is also showing a steep increase in cases over the years," he said."Systems need to be developed for early detection and proper disease management."It needs to be explored how technology can be best utilized for both prevention of cancer and its treatment," he added.The president said several programmes had been initiated at the national, provincial and regional levels aiming at preventive, curative and palliative care.
But these measures, while being significant, remained inadequate for the growing problem of cancer, he said.The president said an appropriate and well-defined communication strategy would also be a key factor in the fight against cancer.He said sustained and collaborative multi-agency effort was needed to minimize the suffering of patients and their families.According to data with the Indian Council of Medical Research, it is estimated that one in about 15 men and one in about 12 women in urban areas could develop cancer in their lifetime.Earlier, he attended the 150th anniversary of the Bishop Cotton Boys School. The president is on a two-day visit to Karnataka.