- June 6, 2023
National Cancer Survivors Day: The importance of multidisciplinary approach in treating this condition | India News – Times of India
Estimates of India Against Cancer, an initiative by a group of medical doctors and researchers at the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR) suggest that every year, 13.9 lakh new cancer patients are registered in our country. One woman dies of cervical cancer every 8 minutes in India, while for every 2 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer, one woman dies of this condition.
Keeping this in mind TOI Medithon, a maiden initiative by Times of India to raise mass awareness about crucial ailments, hosted a digital conclave in partnership with HCG Cancer Center, a leading cancer care institute in the country, on the occasion of ‘National Cancer Survivors Day‘, celebrated every year on the first Sunday of June. Titled Living With Cancer: A Journey That Makes You Stronger, this day-long summit was aired on TOI’s FB platform on 5th June. It featured multiple panel discussions on a wide range of topics starting from inspiring journeys of cancer survivors, their psychological battle, latest advancements and significance of multidisciplinary approach in cancer treatment and much more. On one hand, veterans from the oncology fraternity, such as Dr. SH Advani, Dr. Vijay Haribhakti and Dr. PK Julka among others, shared their insights on various aspects of this condition. On the other hand, survivors Lisa Ray, an internationally acclaimed performer and entrepreneur, Manisha Koirala, renowned Bollywood actress and Chhavi Mittal, a well-known actress, along with others, shed light on the stories of their battle against cancer.
Cancer, we all know, affects different parts of the body. While men are more vulnerable to lung, stomach, colorectal and oesophageal cancer, women mostly fall prey to cancers of breast, ovary and cervix uteri. So, physicians from a wide variety of disciplines are required for managing the condition. Fortunately, there are more than one way to tackle this condition today with the ever-growing number of treatment options that are contributing to more successful outcomes and higher survival rates. Broadly speaking, oncologists usually treat cancer with radiation therapy, surgery or medications including chemotherapy, immunotherapy and other options. But keeping track of all these options and choosing the apt one for a person with cancer necessitates a coordinated approach. This where multidisciplinary treatment (MDT) comes in to play. In order to help patients understand MDT better and make an informed choice of the best treatment option, TOI Medithon dedicated an entire session of its Cancer Survivors Day conclave to this topic. Titled The Importance of Multidisciplinary Approach in Cancer Treatment, the session had a panel of eminent oncologists from different disciplines and an inspiring cancer survivor sharing her journey. Watch the full session here.
The panellists included Dr. Sachin Trivedi, Director, Medical Oncology, HCG Cancer Hospital, Mumbai, Dr. Vijayashree Murthy, Consultant, Breast Surgical Oncology, HCG Cancer Hospital, Dr. Shyam Kishore Shrivastava, Director, Radiation Oncology at HCG ICS Khubchandani Cancer Centre and Anchal Sharma, cancer survivor and Founder, Meals Of Happiness Charitable Trust & Canheal Online.
Sharing his insights on MDT, Dr. Trivedi, who is also the former HOD, Oncology, at Nottingham University Hospital, UK, said, “In MDT, the ethos is to create a personalized, tailored, precise therapy by having a patient-centric approach. While one doctor may be involved in a consultation session with the patient, a larger team is working in the backdrop. That team includes psycho oncologists, dietitians, nurses and a lot of other doctors as well. We all sit together, develop one strategy and deploy all the technologies to improve the treatment outcomes.”
Echoing similar thoughts, Dr. Shrivastava said, “In today’s world, there is a plethora of information available on every subject. So, it is practically impossible for one person to master it all. Therefore, when we are treating cancer using medicines or chemotherapy, surgery or radiation therapy, we all collectively sit together and discuss about the patient. Finally, a collective wisdom is gathered to offer the best treatment to the patient.”
Cancer treatment, we all know, has witnessed major advancements over the last few decades. Reflecting on this, Dr. Murthy said, “Moving away from the large, destructive surgeries that used to happen many decades ago, we are now focussing on organ and function preservation. For example, the plan is to retain the voice in case of voice box cancer and the organ in case of breast cancer. This has become key to cancer management. The goal is not just to add years to life, but life to the years.”
Talking about the latest developments in medical oncology, Dr. Trivedi shared that a lot has happened in this field in the recent past. Precision medicine and immunotherapy are two major developments while it comes to treating cancer patients. “While precision medicine is about identifying a specific genetic error and use that information to get rid of cancer cells, immunotherapy utilizes your body’s own immune system to identify and kill the cancer cells,” he added.
In radiation oncology too, major breakthroughs have helped patients manage cancer in a much better way. “In radiation therapy, latest technology now allows us to point radiation only towards the tumour so that the normal tissues remain untouched. An example of such technology is the Cyberknife. With this, high doses of radiation can be imparted to the tumour area alone. One more significant development is that radiation therapy can now be completed within 3 weeks as against the earlier prescription of 5-7 weeks. The intention is to shorten the duration of hospital stay and curtail cost as well,” said Dr. Shrivastava.
Though latest development in the arena of oncology has improved the survival rate of cancer patients, there is no denying that early diagnosis is the key to successful treatment. Reflecting on this, Dr. Murthy said that earlier the diagnosis, the better and longer the chances of meaningful survival. “In India, we have 1 in 28 women diagnosed with breast cancer, which is fairly large number, given our huge population. Also, in every 14 minutes one woman dies of breast cancer in our country, which is quite alarming. The reason behind this is the hesitation to come and get a private organ checked,” she added.
According to Dr. Murthy, every woman after the age of 25 should do self-examination of breasts. “Also, get yourself checked once every year by your primary physician just to make sure everything is okay. A screening mammogram should be done by every female after 40, once in every 2 years. With this, tumours as small as 3-5mm can be detected,” she said.
Evolved treatment approaches and options are the key to surviving cancer. But oncologists and cancer researchers believe that positivity plays a very significant role in how a patient’s body responds to therapies. Cancer survivor Anchal Sharma bears testimony to this collective wisdom. “I always say that I am a cancer fighter, not a survivor,” she said. “There’s a reason behind this. Fight against cancer is one thing, but the battle against mental and emotional challenges is a bigger one. As a cancer fighter, most people lose hope fearing that they are going to die. This is what made me more vocal about the subject. What I can say about my entire experience is that I am enjoying a beautiful life post cancer. Before my diagnosis, I was living the life of a machine, not taking of myself, not doing things that make me happy and taking unnecessary stress. But post cancer, I realized that my body is my first priority,” added Sharma.
She also believes that acceptance of the self is a very important aspect in the journey through cancer. “If I cannot accept myself, then no one else in the society can,” Sharma signed off.
Watch Watch TOI Medithon today on occasion of ‘National Cancer Survivors Day’
Keeping this in mind TOI Medithon, a maiden initiative by Times of India to raise mass awareness about crucial ailments, hosted a digital conclave in partnership with HCG Cancer Center, a leading cancer care institute in the country, on the occasion of ‘National Cancer Survivors Day‘, celebrated every year on the first Sunday of June. Titled Living With Cancer: A Journey That Makes You Stronger, this day-long summit was aired on TOI’s FB platform on 5th June. It featured multiple panel discussions on a wide range of topics starting from inspiring journeys of cancer survivors, their psychological battle, latest advancements and significance of multidisciplinary approach in cancer treatment and much more. On one hand, veterans from the oncology fraternity, such as Dr. SH Advani, Dr. Vijay Haribhakti and Dr. PK Julka among others, shared their insights on various aspects of this condition. On the other hand, survivors Lisa Ray, an internationally acclaimed performer and entrepreneur, Manisha Koirala, renowned Bollywood actress and Chhavi Mittal, a well-known actress, along with others, shed light on the stories of their battle against cancer.
Cancer, we all know, affects different parts of the body. While men are more vulnerable to lung, stomach, colorectal and oesophageal cancer, women mostly fall prey to cancers of breast, ovary and cervix uteri. So, physicians from a wide variety of disciplines are required for managing the condition. Fortunately, there are more than one way to tackle this condition today with the ever-growing number of treatment options that are contributing to more successful outcomes and higher survival rates. Broadly speaking, oncologists usually treat cancer with radiation therapy, surgery or medications including chemotherapy, immunotherapy and other options. But keeping track of all these options and choosing the apt one for a person with cancer necessitates a coordinated approach. This where multidisciplinary treatment (MDT) comes in to play. In order to help patients understand MDT better and make an informed choice of the best treatment option, TOI Medithon dedicated an entire session of its Cancer Survivors Day conclave to this topic. Titled The Importance of Multidisciplinary Approach in Cancer Treatment, the session had a panel of eminent oncologists from different disciplines and an inspiring cancer survivor sharing her journey. Watch the full session here.
The panellists included Dr. Sachin Trivedi, Director, Medical Oncology, HCG Cancer Hospital, Mumbai, Dr. Vijayashree Murthy, Consultant, Breast Surgical Oncology, HCG Cancer Hospital, Dr. Shyam Kishore Shrivastava, Director, Radiation Oncology at HCG ICS Khubchandani Cancer Centre and Anchal Sharma, cancer survivor and Founder, Meals Of Happiness Charitable Trust & Canheal Online.
Sharing his insights on MDT, Dr. Trivedi, who is also the former HOD, Oncology, at Nottingham University Hospital, UK, said, “In MDT, the ethos is to create a personalized, tailored, precise therapy by having a patient-centric approach. While one doctor may be involved in a consultation session with the patient, a larger team is working in the backdrop. That team includes psycho oncologists, dietitians, nurses and a lot of other doctors as well. We all sit together, develop one strategy and deploy all the technologies to improve the treatment outcomes.”
Echoing similar thoughts, Dr. Shrivastava said, “In today’s world, there is a plethora of information available on every subject. So, it is practically impossible for one person to master it all. Therefore, when we are treating cancer using medicines or chemotherapy, surgery or radiation therapy, we all collectively sit together and discuss about the patient. Finally, a collective wisdom is gathered to offer the best treatment to the patient.”
Cancer treatment, we all know, has witnessed major advancements over the last few decades. Reflecting on this, Dr. Murthy said, “Moving away from the large, destructive surgeries that used to happen many decades ago, we are now focussing on organ and function preservation. For example, the plan is to retain the voice in case of voice box cancer and the organ in case of breast cancer. This has become key to cancer management. The goal is not just to add years to life, but life to the years.”
Talking about the latest developments in medical oncology, Dr. Trivedi shared that a lot has happened in this field in the recent past. Precision medicine and immunotherapy are two major developments while it comes to treating cancer patients. “While precision medicine is about identifying a specific genetic error and use that information to get rid of cancer cells, immunotherapy utilizes your body’s own immune system to identify and kill the cancer cells,” he added.
In radiation oncology too, major breakthroughs have helped patients manage cancer in a much better way. “In radiation therapy, latest technology now allows us to point radiation only towards the tumour so that the normal tissues remain untouched. An example of such technology is the Cyberknife. With this, high doses of radiation can be imparted to the tumour area alone. One more significant development is that radiation therapy can now be completed within 3 weeks as against the earlier prescription of 5-7 weeks. The intention is to shorten the duration of hospital stay and curtail cost as well,” said Dr. Shrivastava.
Though latest development in the arena of oncology has improved the survival rate of cancer patients, there is no denying that early diagnosis is the key to successful treatment. Reflecting on this, Dr. Murthy said that earlier the diagnosis, the better and longer the chances of meaningful survival. “In India, we have 1 in 28 women diagnosed with breast cancer, which is fairly large number, given our huge population. Also, in every 14 minutes one woman dies of breast cancer in our country, which is quite alarming. The reason behind this is the hesitation to come and get a private organ checked,” she added.
According to Dr. Murthy, every woman after the age of 25 should do self-examination of breasts. “Also, get yourself checked once every year by your primary physician just to make sure everything is okay. A screening mammogram should be done by every female after 40, once in every 2 years. With this, tumours as small as 3-5mm can be detected,” she said.
Evolved treatment approaches and options are the key to surviving cancer. But oncologists and cancer researchers believe that positivity plays a very significant role in how a patient’s body responds to therapies. Cancer survivor Anchal Sharma bears testimony to this collective wisdom. “I always say that I am a cancer fighter, not a survivor,” she said. “There’s a reason behind this. Fight against cancer is one thing, but the battle against mental and emotional challenges is a bigger one. As a cancer fighter, most people lose hope fearing that they are going to die. This is what made me more vocal about the subject. What I can say about my entire experience is that I am enjoying a beautiful life post cancer. Before my diagnosis, I was living the life of a machine, not taking of myself, not doing things that make me happy and taking unnecessary stress. But post cancer, I realized that my body is my first priority,” added Sharma.
She also believes that acceptance of the self is a very important aspect in the journey through cancer. “If I cannot accept myself, then no one else in the society can,” Sharma signed off.
Watch Watch TOI Medithon today on occasion of ‘National Cancer Survivors Day’
