“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.”- Dr Vineet Talwar, Senior Consultant, Department of Medical
Oncology, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre
need different drugs and different
treatment pathways to treat
different types of cancers. Molecular
pathology (genetic) tests today can
discover the type and subtype of
cancer to help in precision medicine.
Cancer care based on results of
genetic test and understanding of
the molecular patterns can definitely
improve the survivability of cancer
patient. Cancer can even be cured
if detected early or survivability can
be increased by slowing down the
metastatic process.”
“Keeping these properties in
mind, we founded a new start-up
‘Precision Genomics’ where we are
doing research on early detection
of cancer. We are working on
quantitative DNA that quantifies the
CNV and the DNA in a gene that we
call ‘DNA Dosages’,” Talukder said.
On the recent innovations in
cancer treatment, Dr DS Ratna Devi,
CEO, Dakshayani and Amaravati
Health & Education and Founder
Indian Alliance of Patient Groups
said, “The accelerating pace of
innovations in cancer therapeutics
and diagnostics has really improved
the situation from what it was a few
years back. Improved screening has
led to earlier detection of cancer
enabling immediate faster treatment
and reduction in growth of tumour.
New therapeutic strategies and
diagnosis are improving while
reducing the complexities in treating
chronic condition. The New Age
medical devices are empowering
patients with information and
monitoring access. In addition to the
above stated progress in cancer care
trend, the increasing collaborationwith the government and private
healthcare focusing on cancer care,
the number of cancer hospitals and
availability of quality treatment at
reduced cost have further paved a
successful way to cure and prevent
prevention of cancer for in patients
even from remote areas.”
In 2013, bringing hope to
hundreds of cancer patients, new
technology which delivers high
doses of radiation with great
accuracy into the human body was
introduced in the Indian capital and
this has helped patients fight the
disease with minimum side effects.
“Cancer technology is seeing
mammoth changes, not only in
science but also in technology as
well. According to various reports,
the total spending on in cancer
R&D was estimated to be over 70
million dollars in 2015 as compared
to the total spend of 105 billion
dollars across all therapeutic areas.
All this research is helping us to
understand the biology of the
disease better, which in turn has led
to huge changes in the way cancer
is being treated. Currently there
are various cell-based therapies,
immunotherapy, newer radiation
therapies that are now coming into
play. One of the prime examples
for recent update in early detection
technology is the use of digital
mammogram and tomosynthesis.
There are massive changes in the
way we are implementing radiation,
which has made the entire process a
lot more precise and faster,” Suresh
Ramu, CEO, Cytecare Hospitals
said.
Ramu said, “A large percentageof cancers are curable if detected at
an early stage. Our biggest challenge
today is not the technology but
early detection and to change
the mindset of people and make
them come for screenings. If you
talk about cancer technology and
where it is today, most cancers
can be cured early from a lifecycle
perspective. You can be cancer free
or have no regression of cancer for
a significant period of time if it is
detected early. The major problem
with India is we detect almost 70
per cent of cancers in stage 3 or 4,
so whatever technology we are able
to deploy and are available in India
or worldwide, is less effective and a
lot more expensive as compared to
what could have been if we were able
to pick signs early.”
“Through Stereotactic Body
Radiation Therapy (SBRT), we
can give high dose radiation at
specified locations and spare the
normal tissues. The technology
delivers high doses of radiation
with great accuracy in one to five
sessions, unlike 30 to 40 sessions
for conventional radiotherapy.(^38) BIOFeature BioSpectrum | May 2017 | http://www.biospectrumindia.com