Cancer on the rise in Sri Lanka: 17,000 new patients detected annually

All types of cancers are on the rise in Sri Lanka with around 17,000 new cancer patients detected annually by the local health system, National Cancer Control Programme Director Consultant Community Physician Dr Sudath Samaraweera said.

Addressing a media workshop in Colombo today Dr Samaraweera said the most common cancer among Sri Lankans is oral cancer, while with women it is breast cancer, with around 2,500 new breast cancer patients detected annually. Consultant Community Physician Dr Nayana De Alwis said that daily around seven new breast cancer patients are being detected in Sri Lanka with most of them in the stages three or four, which cannot be reversed. Read more

Risks of cancer in Nepal

Published: February 02, 2016 10:48 am

KATHMANDU: With the changing lifestyle and exposure to risk factors like smoking, there has been a significant rise in the number of cancer patients in Nepal as per Dr Prakash Raj Neupane, Medical Director at Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital and Chairman at BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital, Chitwan.

In Nepal, some 30,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed every year in the country, reveals Dr Neupane. “Among them, only 10,000 cancer patients reach the hospital for treatment,” says the doctor adding, “To aware remaining 20,000 patients to go to the hospital for treatment, the World Cancer Day is celebrated in Nepal too”.

“If detected early, the treatment of cancer is possible,” he further emphasises.

As per the data provided by Dr Neupane, four common cases of cancers seen in Nepal are — cancers of lungs, breast, cervix and abdomen.

“Among the total population, 45 per cent males and 55 per cent females are suffering from different types of cancers here — due to ignorance, lack of personal hygiene, birth trauma and lack of regular health check up, especially in women,” reveals the doctor. Read more

Decoding cancer scenario in India

Stanley M Marks is the chairman of UPMC Cancer Center, Director of Clinical Services and Chief Medical Officer for UPMC Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, USA. He is also a significant contributor and member of the tumor board, American Oncology Institute (AOI). Recently, he was in the city to participate in International Cancer Conclave-2018. He spoke to The Hans India and shared his views on the cancer scenario in India. Excerpts:

What is the cancer scenario in India?
Globally, 14 million new cancer cases are detected every year leading to 8 million deaths every year. Nearly 1.1 million of these new cancer cases were reported in India in the year 2015 with a total incidence of cancer reported to be around 3.9 million. Recorded incidence of cancer per 100,000 of the population in India is approximately 100 and is roughly about half of the world average (182 per 100,000) and about one-third of that of developed countries (268 per 100,000).
In India, many cancers in the past that were simply not diagnosed or reported are now being reported due to a significant increase in public awareness, cancer diagnostics and treatment facilities over the last decade. However, still, a lot of cancer cases in India are underdiagnosed and under-reported especially in rural areas which forms the bulk of the population. Cancer-related mortality in India is double that of developed countries, mainly due to patients being diagnosed at a late stage and due to lack of adequate preventive screening programmes.
What are the root causes of cancer and how can the same be prevented?  Read more

Narayana Health unveils latest cancer radiation therapy technology Versa HD

JAMSHEDPURNATION 
Kolkata: According to recent projections by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India is expected to register over 17 lakh new cases of cancer and over 8 lakh deaths because of the disease by 2020. Eastand North-East India are not immune to this fact and are reporting substantial number of cancer cases.

With an effort to reduce the cancer burden in this part of the country, Dr Devi Shetty, Chairman, Narayana Health and Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, CMD, Biocon inaugurated a state-of-the-art linear accelerator at Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Howrah making it the first of such technology available in the 13 states of Eastern and North-Eastern India.

Developed by Swedish company Elekta, ‘Versa HD’ as it is known as, has the versatility to deliver conventional radiotherapy and a variety of indications and treatment techniques. It is designed for the most challenging stereotactic treatments, enabling ultimate clinical flexibility and operational efficiency for reduced treatment times and increased patient volumes. The hospital has now opened this facility to the people of India and neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Bhutan with affordable tariffs that would be one of the lowest in the region.

Radiation therapy (radiotherapy) uses ionizing radiation, generally as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells and is normally delivered by a linear accelerator. Radiotherapy is one of the pillars of cancer management and may involve either external beam treatment or brachytherapy, a technique where a sealed radiation source is placed inside or next to the area requiring treatment.  Read more