Mumbai, Oct 22 (IANS): Actress Priyanka Chopra, who lost her father Ashok Chopra to cancer, has joined a crusade against the dreaded disease and says treatment should be available to everyone suffering from it.

At the inauguration of HCG Cancer Unit here, the actress said: "I am supporting a crusade against cancer. I am supporting a fight against cancer."

"It's very difficult not just for the people who have it, but for their families and the people who care about them," Priyanka said.

"I think anyone should not go untreated. There are a lot of patients who don't have the ability to afford it, who don't know when the treatment should happen," she added.

Priyanka said that as soon as cancer is detected proper medication and treatment should be done.

She recalled the time her mother and the entire family took precautions for her father when he was detected with cancer.

Ashok Chopra was first diagnosed with cancer in 2005. He had been in and out of hospital ever since. He passed away this year in June.

"Once my dad was detected, he lived for eight years since then and he lived a very good and healthy life," Priyanka recalled.

"He had a good quality of life because fortunately my mom was also a doctor and we knew about it (cancer care) in advance. We learnt about it, researched about it but everybody is not fortunate," she added.

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