Many cancers are curable if diagnosed early

 

 

It was indeed a proud moment for Pune when city-based senior medical oncologist, Dr. Anantbhushan Ranade was elected the president of a national body, the Indian Society of Medical and Paediatric Oncology (ISMPO), at a function held in Mumbai. The first president to be elected from Maharashtra (outside Mumbai), and the youngest of all elected presidents, Dr. Ranade shared his views on cancer as a disease and the approach taken by him and ISMPO in combating it, in his first interview after being elected president.

 

 

What is the current situation of cancer as a disease in India?

The burden of cancer is continuously on the rise due to the changing environment and lifestyle. There would be an increase of nearly 30% in new cancer patients by 2020 as compared to 2011. Late diagnosis continues to remain a major problem in India with almost 30-35% of patients being diagnosed in the last stage (stage IV).

 

Though the incidence and type of cancer vary in men and women and in the rural and urban population, the common cancers in men are the head face, neck cancers, prostate cancer, stomach, gastrointestinal tract cancers, and urinary cancers. In women, the common cancers are breast cancer, cervical cancer, and head neck, and face cancers.

 

We plan to take some major initiatives, primarily on public awareness and awareness amongst family physicians for early diagnosis. We also wish to standardize the treatment approach in India by formulating Indian guidelines suiting Indian patients. We would also focus on newer tools like genetic and immuno-oncology to tackle cancer. Here, I would like to add that cancer is no longer synonymous with death and many cancers are curable if diagnosed early.