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Caring for cancer patients

Dr Ganapathi Ramanan
Consultant Medical Oncologist,
Principal Investigator, Kumaran Hospitals

Established in 2007, Madras Cancer Care Foundation strives to offer comprehensive cancer care to all, regardless of socioeconomic conditions. It functions from Apollo Hospitals and Kumaran Hospital in Chennai. In order to support people who cannot afford paying for the treatment cost, the organization supports them with funding too.

Dr Ganapathi Ramanan, one of the Directors of Madras Cancer Care, in a one-to-one with The Health Planters explains how cancer has spread in India over the years, treatments available and the future. Edited excerpts:

1. How has the number of cancer cases increased over the years?
Ans: It has increased but in a slower pace. If you see in 1992, there were 90-92 cancer patients per one lakh population. As on date it is 115 per one lakh. Hence we can see an increase of one per cent per year.

2. Which type of cancer reports the most?
Ans: Esophageal, lung, oral, stomach and lymphoma is types common among men. In women, breast, cervical, ovarian, oral and lymphoma are the most reported.

3. As on date, what are the treatments available?
Ans: Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy as all are aware are the common treatments. New emerging treatments are molecular and targeted treatments.  Another important one is palliative care treatments.

4. How do you expect it to go forward?
Ans: It should have a multi-disciplinary approach. As of now that is lacking. Tumor will be profiled using genetic techniques that will lead to personalized treatments. Palliaitve care must be included in the UG curriculum as that would be required for treating all cancers.

5. In treating some of the complicated cases, how effective will you take it?
Ans: We have a tumor board, in which each doctor discusses the complicated cases. Interacting with each other and more lab investigations, we would figure out the best treatment.

6. How effective are bone marrow transplantation?
Ans: Bone marrow transplantations are of great importance in treating leukemia and lymphoma as well as in non-cancer conditions. In most cases it would be successful. A proportion of  patients undergoing transplantation will be cured of their disease. It is an expensive procedure and needs a well oiled team to do it.

7. What is your opinion on alternative medicine?
Ans: Even though they say there is a cure for complicated diseases, unless it is scientifically proven it cannot be followed.  But we need to look into it and promote research in alternate medicine. As someone has a solution to cure cancer it should be incorporated in the main stream of cancer treatment.

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