Apollo Hospitals will stream ‘live’ the deliberations of its biennial international cancer conclave to be held from February 2 to 5 at the HICC, Madhapur. It will also enable those who have registered online to participate in the tumour board discussions as part of the meeting where specialists from across the world and within India are expected to attend.
The conclave, seventh in the series of the hospital here, would be predominantly dealing with the new age treatment and technologies available for advanced cancer care globally. “We will be learning, deliberating and exchanging information on the best possible treatments and innovations in cancers afflicting the human body so that we can issue up-to-date guidelines for patient care,” said organising chairman P. Vijay Anand Reddy, director, Apollo Cancer Institutes, Jubilee Hills.
At a press conference here on Monday Dr. Reddy said several advancements have been made in cancer care over the last few years and latest technology too has been introduced in the country as in bone marrow transplants, molecular diagnosis, immunotherapy, robotics, radiation, etc.
For instance, with ‘half-match’ it was now possible to get the bone marrow transplant operations done; instead of biopsy, through blood testing cancer prevalence can be detected in incidences of lung, colon and few others and the way forward was personalised treatment depending on the patient, said S.V.S.S. Prasad, his colleague.
The country was also witnessing high incidence of cancer - million a year and expected to double in two decades yet there were only 400 cancer care centres and the need was for 2000 such centres in both public and private spheres to manage and combat the disease.
Dr. Reddy said that neck, head and breast cancers were more prevalent in urban areas if it was cervical in the rural areas. Tobacco abuse, dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles were the main reasons. It was also observed that prostrate cancers once thought of as a ‘western disease’ was afflicting the young Indians too.
Film actress Manisha Koirala would be participating in a public forum for doctors, cancer survivors and general public on February 4 on ‘Cancer is conquerable’ being held in association with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and industry’s Ladies Organisation (FICCI-FLO). Cancer specialists - Padmavati, TPS Bhandari, Kaushik Bhattacharya, Vamsi, Chinna Babu, also spoke.
