How affordable technology can abolish cancer
In 2008, India's leading oncologists Krishnan Nair, Cherian Varghese (of Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthpuram) and R. Swaminathan (of Cancer Institute, Chennai), discussed the status of cancer care in the country then, in their report Cancer: Current scenario, intervention strategies and projections for 2015.
September 29, 2015 / 16:14 IST
In 2008, India's leading oncologists Krishnan Nair, Cherian Varghese (of Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthpuram) and R. Swaminathan (of Cancer Institute, Chennai), discussed the status of cancer care in the country then, in their report Cancer: Current scenario, intervention strategies and projections for 2015. "It is now known that over one-third of cancers deaths are preventable, and one-third potentially curable provided they are diagnosed early in their course," they wrote.It is a view shared by oncology experts in the medical field. If detected early, cancer can be treated and cured in Stage I and Stage II. Sadly, a combination of low awareness and the absence of a strong public healthcare system causes majority of the cancer cases to be diagnosed in the advanced stage (Stages III and IV) of the disease.Doctors in India also have an added contention of having to constantly battle against the attitude and taboo associated by patients on cancer due to the belief that cancer is completely incurable. In addition to economic reasons, it is partly due to this belief that many patients do not come forward to seek treatment for cancer or conduct screening tests. To improve the overall outcomes and improve the probability of survival it is extremely crucial for survivors as well as doctors to constantly demonstrate their success stories which would motivate other patients and their families to come forward to seek treatment and participate in screening programs.This brands cancer as a terminal disease despite it being curable and makes cancer care a daunting, and often unsuccessful task. Cancer screening is key to early detection, diagnosis and treatment. It is the second step in cancer control strategy. Primary prevention measures like awareness and control programmes, healthy lifestyle, and vaccination are the primary steps. With early diagnosis, cancer can be nipped in the bud, improving survival chances and prolonging life. Reportedly, if detected early, state-of-the-art therapy in uterine cancer, testicular cancer, cancer of the melanoma (skin cancer) and breast cancer can yield a 75% or greater 5-year survival rate. However, statistics point to a staggering rise in the number of cancer cases, especially those affecting women. Meanwhile, with advanced oncology care concentrated in urban India, treatment for patients from the rest of the country becomes unfeasible owing to factors like accessibility and high cost. "Cancer screening is not practised in an organized fashion in any part of India. There are sporadic attempts at opportunistic interventions and small-scale research studies for field interventions," the report says. These statements hold water at least in the case of diagnostic technologies such as integration of PET and CT systems to oncology care in India.
Source: Cancer: Current scenario, intervention strategies and projections for 2015Cancer ScreeningState-of-the-art technology in cancer diagnosis comprises Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computed Tomography (CT). PET and CT systems are advanced imaging tools which allow medical practitioners to locate the cancer within the body. While PET scanners pinpoint a disorder at molecular level, CT scanners produce a detailed image of internal anatomy. Together, these imaging technologies help physicians locate cancer, accurately pinpoint the degree of damage done by cancer and also predict the recurrence of cancer. These not only diagnose the disease at initial stages but also reveal tumours post surgery and radiation therapy – tumours that hide beneath scar tissues resulting from curative treatments. The imaging technologies help in three stages of treating cancer – diagnosing, staging and evaluating the treatment. There has been a rise in the number of PET/CT systems being brought to India since 2004; however, the cost of such cutting edge technology (a PET scanner costs upwards of Rs.10 crores) is a huge hurdle for it being able to make it to primary healthcare centers across India. As a result, there has been a disparity in the availability of primary oncology care in India. PET scans require a special tracer (FDG) to be available and often the lack of availability of this tracer at a nearby location drives up the cost per scan to almost Rs.20000 per PET scan.There are more than 300 cancer centres in India, but only 75 PET /CT scanners that are critical for diagnosing cancer are operational available, reported Hindustan Times recently. For about 3 million cancer cases that are reported annually in India, the above numbers are abysmal. Plus, every year one million new cancer cases are added and many others go unreported.Undoubtedly, India is ill equipped in its race against cancer while the victims helplessly struggle to buy time to live.
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