Cancer, no more

end of the road

N

o word can strike shimmer

in people’s heart as much

the word cancer do, and it is

mainly because of the misconception

that most of the people have about

the disease. Many feel that this is

the end of the road and no matter

how hard they try, the disease is not

going to spare them. However, the

fact is that numerous technologies

and treatments have evolved over

the years to knock off this deadly

ailment.

The most recent survivor

who belted out from the grip of

cancer is India’s ace cricketer

Yuvraj Singh. In 2011, Singh was

diagnosed with a cancerous tumour

in his left lung and underwent

chemotherapy treatment in Boston

and Indianapolis. In March 2012,

he was discharged from the hospital

after completing the third and final

cycle of chemotherapy and returned

to India in April, and later resumed

playing his sport. Cancer continues

to be a major scourge of mankind.

In 2010, the world saw 12.4 million

new cases of cancer and 7.6 million

deaths due to this disease. As many

as 28 million people were living with

cancer. Given the poor detection

abilities of developing countries,

this number is likely to be a gross

underestimate.

With advances in chemotherapy,

radiotherapy, surgery, hormonal

therapies and vaccines, the current

treatment options for cancer have

better mechanism of action and

fewer side effects. Cancer is not one

disease. It is a combination of many

diseases. Moreover, there is not one

cancer – there are many types and

subtypes of cancer. A small portion

(about 2 per cent) of our DNA or

the human genome contains genes.

These genes are responsible for the

production of proteins and enzymes

in the body that drive life.

Proteins interact with each

other in a complex network to

trigger various functions in the body

starting from generation of energy

from the food we eat to send signal

to genes to regulate their behaviour

and functions. Sometimes, the

DNA develops defects, which are

called mutations alterations in the

sequences of DNA occurs, which is

called mutation. These mutations

may be a A change in a single

nucleotide ,is generally called single

nucleotide polymorphism (SNP).

It There may be an insertion or

deleteion of few nucleotides (indels)

in the genome as well. Or, aA

mutation where a large portion of

the genome is deleted or amplified

or inverted/translocated, which is

known as copy number variation

(CNV).

“It is a myth that we get better

cancer treatment abroad. When it

comes to treating cancer, India is

one of the best in the world today.

We have the finest surgeons and

are one of the best in the world in

terms of hospitals, treatment and

surgery techniques, equipment

used, and post-treatment care as

well as cost. Clearly, the future of

medicine, medical technology and

health improvement on a large scale

depends heavily on innovation.

While we as doctors use our skills

to save lives, we would be helpless

in our efforts if scientists and

manufacturers were not innovating

for new discoveries to meet the

unmet medical needs of patients.

The fact is that we constantly

need newer and better treatment

options for treating complex health

conditions and modern diseases. At

the same time, we make sure that

innovation benefits a significant

section of the population,” Dr

Vineet Talwar, Senior Consultant,

Department of Medical Oncology,

Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and

Research Centre said.

Speaking about the evolvement

of cancer treatment, Asoke

Talukder, Chief Scientific Officer,

InterpretOmics India Pvt. Ltd. said,

“Following the human genome

project, our understanding of cancer

genomics increased multifold.

Recent researches are helping us to

understand the molecular pattern

of the disease. People generally do

not die due to cancer – they die

when cancer spreads from primary

tissue to other parts of the body –

when it transforms into a metastatic

cancer. Cancer is a disease where

“one size fits all” does not work. We

With advances in chemotherapy, radiotherapy,

surgery, hormonal therapies and vaccines, the

current treatment options for cancer have better

mechanism of action and fewer side effects

http://www.biospectrumindia.com | May 2017 | BioSpectrum BIOFeature^37