Now, patients in Delhi can avail of
this treatment and don’t have to
go to Chennai or to Bengaluru,” Dr
PK Julka, Head of Oncology, All
India Institute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS) said.
According to a study published
by Lancet in 2012, cancer devoured
around 5,56,400 lives in India
in 2010. Oral cancer is the most
prevailing disease among Indian
men which is closely followed by
lung cancer. On on the other side,
cervical cancer dominates the
Indian women population followed
by breast cancer.
According to Dr Sapna Nangia,
Radiation Oncologist at Indraprastha
Apollo Hospitals, Apollo Chennai
was the first to carry out a cyberknife
surgery in the country. “New
advancements in technology such as
the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery
System are a significant development
in cancer therapy for patients as well
as doctors. It offers the most precise
treatment option for a wide range of
patients.”
“Advances in cancer treatment
are happening each day. The
According to a study published by Lancet in 2012,
cancer devoured around 5,56,400 lives in India in- Oral cancer is the most prevailing disease among
Indian men which is closely followed by lung cancer.
On on the other side, cervical cancer dominates the
Indian women population followed by breast cancer
treatment options available for
cancer, include surgery, radiation
therapy, chemotherapy, stem cell
transplantation and other advanced
therapies such as Radiation Therapy,
Targeted Therapy, Hormonal
Therapy and Immuno Therapy.
Another option for treatment is
the Multi-Modal Therapy, which
is the combination of all therapies.
This treatment is based on the type
of cancer, stage of cancer and the
personal needs of the patient. All
in all, we Indians need to follow a
healthy lifestyle in order to reduce
the risk of developing cancer,” said
Dr Ranga Rao Rangaraju, Senior
Director, Medical Oncology ,Max
Super Speciality Hospital.
Dr Sushil Shah, Founder,
Chairman, Metropolis Healthcare
said, “People battling cancer today
have access to many types of
treatment than ever before. Today,
cancer is treated by a medical
oncologist, a radiation oncologist,
a surgical oncologist, and in some
cases a combination of these. There
are many new technologies which
can help combat cancer. The use of
targeted drugs has helped achieve
a better response and reduced the
side effects of therapy.”
Radiation has proved a vital
element to combat cancer and
numerous improvements have
been done to further enhance the
radiation treatments. “Radiation
treatments have vastly improved
over the years. It is now possible
to treat tumour in a manner where
surrounding tissues no longer
receive any radiation. This is a great
benefit to the patient, both physicallyand mentally. Photoimmunotherapy
(PIT) is an experimental technique
that combines the immune system’s
ability to target cancer cells
precisely with laser energy’s ability
to destroy those cells. PIT delivers
extremely precise, lethal payloads
with minimum collateral damage.
This treatment is so unique and
promising because its cancer cell-
killing power is so selective and
immediate. It is an alternative to
chemotherapy,” said Dr Shah.
According to Dr Shah,
smartphone-size devices to diagnose
cancer may revolutionise healthcare
in the developing world. A low-cost
diagnostic DNA analyser which is
the size of a smartphone runs on
a solar-powered battery or wind-
up device, the cancer-diagnosing
device is designed to read biological
samples submitted via a credit card-
size cartridge. Such innovations are
important that people get first-hand
knowledge of the detection of the
cancer.
Treatment of cancer has evolved
over the years and now it is no more
the end of the road, but awareness
and timely action is the need of
the hour to cut loose from the grip
of cancer. Most of the medical
practitioners suggest that many
cancers could be prevented by
avoiding exposure to common risk
factors, such as tobacco, smoke. In
addition, a significant proportion
of cancers can be cured by surgery,
radiotherapy or chemotherapy
— especially if they are detected
early.
Nitin Konde
[email protected]http://www.biospectrumindia.com | May 2017 | BioSpectrum BIOFeature^39