KATHMANDU: Senior cancer specialist Dr. Madan Kumar Piya has claimed that the number of cancer patients is on a rise in Nepal.

Speaking at an interaction program on the occasion of World Cancer Day organized by Khabarhub in Kathmandu today, doctors said 40-50 percent of the cancer is curable. Meanwhile, according to a data available at the Nepal Cancer Relief Society, an approximate 30,000 to 40,000 new cases are likely to be reported in 2019.

However, Dr. Piya said the government does not have the exact data of cancer patients in the country.

Cancer is the second leading cause of deaths globally, and kills female more than men in the country. In 2018, of the 19,413 deaths due to cancer, 11,258 were women. Data shows that Nepalis are more prone to lungs, breast, prostate and stomach cancer.