ISSN: 2578-4811
Authors: Abhishikta GR*, Banita Behera and Badyopadhyay AR
An accentuated systems approach has been considered in Medical Anthropology with respect to theoretical and institutional methodologies to health, illness and healing. Marked changes in distribution, incidence and prevalence of disease, are all related to changes in life expectancy and living patterns, though the latter is related to globalization mainly, significantly among all types of diseases, non-communicable ones are rising with cancer predominating of all. According to WHO, by 2020, there is expected to be some 20 million new cancer cases worldwide. Anthropology has a major role to play in many aspects of cancer, which includes aetiology and protection, epidemiology and prognosis. Human beings are bestowed with a finest gift named culture, which is a significant tool to influence peoples understanding and acceptance of preventive measures. Social and cultural factors needs to be planned in such a manner so that it can be implemented for cancer control programmes ensuring success. Unadventurously, anthropology has pursued to assimilate the biological and physiological with cultural and social parameters. paying attention to the continuous cultural conformations of cancer that exist ‘before cancer’ will increase understanding of how the public health construction of ‘cancer awareness’ relates to everyday health practices such as symptom experience and health care seeking. In today’s date when it is becoming more warning to fight cancer, anthropologists seek to answer to many questions pertaining to its growth and proliferation. The responsibility of a Medical Anthropologist lies in the fact to identify the causes and a better understanding of its prognosis, and if anthropologists come up with explanations, it can be a great measure for prognosis and thus the burden may be lowered and we can win over mortality. The present paper will seek to answer to all the above mentioned facts taking Breast Cancer research as model.
Keywords: Cancer; Epidemiology; Prognosis; Anthropology
