Assam strikes back against cancer as awareness drives surge

Guwahati: Over 200 villagers gathered at the Agbandha Primary School auditorium on Wednesday as the Indian Red Cross Society, Margherita Sub-District Branch, in collaboration with the Assam Cancer Care Foundation (ACCF) and The Hans Foundation, launched a major cancer awareness and free screening initiative.

“Early detection is not an option; it is survival,” declared Pabitra Borgohain, Secretary of the local Red Cross unit, while inaugurating the event.

Dr. Mamta Upadhyay, senior oncologist from ACCF, led a powerful session on breast and oral cancer, two of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in Assam.

“One self-examination can save a life; one missed warning can take it,” she cautioned.

Local leaders, including Gaon Panchayat President Mampi Singh Dutta and The Hans Foundation’s Dr. Dayananda Singh, also extended their support.

“Our tea garden workers chew tobacco like candy; today we told them it’s slow poison,” Dutta said.

Following the awareness programme, the organisers conducted a large screening camp where more than 150 residents were examined for oral lesions, breast lumps, diabetes, hypertension, and anaemia. Free medicines were provided to all who required them.

Similar initiatives took place across Assam. ACCF’s mobile units screened thousands in Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Kokrajhar, and Barpeta, amplifying the momentum of Lung Cancer Awareness Month.

There may not have been a single statewide directive, but the grassroots participation made it feel like one.

Cancer continues to be Assam’s silent crisis, with 33,000 new cases reported every year, the highest in Northeast India.

Tobacco use accounts for more than half of cancer cases among men. Yet hope is growing, seven modern cancer hospitals are already functioning, and ten more are set to open by December 2025.

“From Margherita to Majuli, people are waking up,” Dr. Upadhyay said as the camp concluded. “When villages fight cancer together, cancer loses.”