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Delhi Experts Call for Research on Pollution and GI Cancer
Doctors in Delhi said they have seen some people as young as 15 with cancers of the digestive system.
They want researchers in India to study whether polluted air may be one part of the problem.
Some studies have found links between air pollution and cancer, but a link does not prove that pollution caused the illness.
The doctors said many things could affect a person’s cancer risk, including genes, family history, food and infections.
They also discussed ground-level ozone, a harmful pollutant that is different from the ozone high in the sky.
Experts want better air monitoring and cancer records in India.
They said people should pay attention to lasting digestive problems and seek medical advice.
They also stressed prevention and finding cancer early.
Doctors at a New Delhi conference said their hospital has recently seen GI cancer patients as young as 15.
Experts called for India-specific research into whether air pollution, including PM2.5 and ground-level ozone, contributes to cancer risk.
Studies cited at the conference found associations between air pollutants and cancer outcomes but did not prove that pollution causes GI cancers.
Experts said younger patients’ diagnoses may involve multiple factors, including family history, genetics, diet, lifestyle, infections and environmental exposures.
They called for stronger air-quality monitoring, improved cancer registries, long-term Indian studies, prevention and timely diagnosis.
- Who
- Experts from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, along with other conference participants.
- What
- Experts discussed younger GI cancer patients and called for India-specific research into possible links between air pollution and cancer.
- Where
- New Delhi, at a conference organised by Sir Ganga Ram Hospital with The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.
- When
- The conference took place on October 10-11; the report is dated October 11, with no year specified.
- Why
- Experts said younger patients’ diagnoses and international research associations warrant investigation, while evidence does not establish that pollution causes GI cancers.
Reasons to investigate pollution
Limits of current evidence
Air pollution and cancer risk
Reasons to investigate pollution
Experts said studies linking long-term exposure to PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide and ozone with cancer risk strengthen the case for India-specific research, particularly in cities with poor air quality.
Limits of current evidence
The cited studies found associations, not proof that pollution causes GI cancers; one study’s findings were not specific to GI cancers.
Explaining younger patients’ diagnoses
Reasons to investigate pollution
The report of GI cancer patients as young as 15 led experts to call for examination of environmental exposures as one possible factor.
Limits of current evidence
Experts cautioned against drawing conclusions from associations alone and said family history, genetic susceptibility, diet, lifestyle and infections also warrant consideration.
Key facts
- Conference
- A two-day international conference on colorectal and other GI cancers
- Organisers
- Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
- Youngest age reported
- 15 years, according to a Sir Ganga Ram Hospital oncology department chair
- Study review
- A study in Epidemiologic Reviews examined 70 studies on air pollution and gastrointestinal diseases
- England early-onset colorectal cancer rate
- Among people under 50, the rate rose from 3.9 per 100,000 in 2001 to 8.4 per 100,000 in 2023
- India colorectal cancer rate
- Reported as 3.5 per 100,000 among people aged 25-49; urban registries indicate an increase
- Evidence caveat
- The cited findings report associations and do not establish direct causation or explain the reported cases among younger patients
Quotes
Dr Shyam Aggarwal
Chairperson of Medical Oncology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and conference organising chairperson.
“Family history, genetic susceptibility, diet, lifestyle, infections and possible environmental exposures all deserve appropriate consideration. We must strengthen Indian research to understand these factors rather than draw conclusions from associations alone.”
theprint.in
“In our OPD, we are now seeing new GI cancer patients as young as 15 years old, which was uncommon five years ago. We must also pay attention to the environment in which people live.”
theprint.in
Sources
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