Oncologist Suggests That Investment in Cancer Research Dismal in India

Tobacco related cancers as the most common in India. Despite this trend, investments in the field of cancer research in India were 'dismal' and 'embarrassing', suggested oncologist Dr. Siddharth Mukherjee. Dr. Mukherjee is the author of a Pulitzer winning book 'The Emperor of Maladies - A Biography of Cancer'. A documentary based on the book has been made by Barak Goodman and Ken Burns in collaboration with Dr. Mukherjee and has already won numerous awards. After a special screening of the documentary, Dr. Mukherjee said, "In a country with different levels of wealth, the investment in cancer research is dismal and a deep embarrassment. Smaller nations are doing much more in this field. We are worried about film stars and cricket, but not about this serious issue. Tobacco related cancers are going to be the main cancers in Asia, specially in India and China."

To a question on whether tobacco can be directly linked to cancer, Dr. Mukherjee said, "There are a huge number of studies to prove this. I can at least quote 784 recent studies which establish the link between tobacco and cancer."

Source-IANS