Cancer

Cancer Power Circle brings you a informative, insightful, emotional yet full of practical tips from three spouses of Head and Neck cancer patients. And a wish to stop Tobacco usage. Dealing with Head and Neck Cancers is difficult for patients and their families. There are also unique challenges that families of patients with Head and Neck cancers have to navigate. As part of our Cancer Power Circle webinar series we speak with spouses of 3 Head and Neck cancer patients. They will talk about the…

Sharon, 42 talks about the various facets of work, life and relationships after breast cancer. She shares her journey of working through cancer, what worked for her in job interviews and how cancer has changed her lifestyle and priorities. I was diagnosed with Breast cancer in 2015, when I was 37 years old. It was stage 2B and I underwent the recommended Surgery (lumpectomy), Chemo, and Radiation therapy. Lastly, I was on Herceptin and by June 2016 I had completed the entire course of treatment…

Havovi Bharucha, 53 neglected her symptoms and her health while grieving the loss of her husband and being a caregiver to her mother and an aged pet. By the time she sought help, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Endometrial Cancer. She is a reminder to each one of us to be vigilant about our health. For almost a year, I would get spotting between my periods. I dismissed it thinking it was due to approaching menopause. A year ago, I had lost my husband to liver cancer. Since then I had been…

Anjali Sen, 47 from Mumbai was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2019. She talks about dealing with the confusion of treatment approaches, the constant fear of relapse, and finding help with online meditation solutions. When were you first diagnosed with breast cancer? I was diagnosed with Invasive ductal carcinoma on my left breast in June 2019. What were the early symptoms? What made you go see a doctor? Early in 2019, I felt a lump in the left breast while changing. During periods,…

The prevalence of Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN) is as high as 68% of all patients and 30% even six months after chemotherapy. It is important to understand the cause and find ways to deal with the pain. Caregivers should not dismiss the pain. Dr. Shital Raval explains CIPN, the symptoms and approaches for management of CIPN.   When the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord are affected or damaged, it causes a condition called peripheral neuropathy. While…

Shiba Suresh, who was diagnosed with Stage IV ALK mutation lung cancer, was immediately started with targeted therapy. Here she states she has responded well to her medications and considers herself lucky that she can live longer. We have beautiful weather in December in Kochi. It is the perfect time for gardening. I excitedly bought some flowering plants of adenium, petunia, dianthus and roses for my home and got busy for a couple of days planting and pruning them. I must have strained myself…

We all have a lot of questions on cancer prevention, how to detect cancer early and guidelines for  screening. We also often ignore the needs of persons with disabilities in terms of cancer awareness campaigns and access to screening. Join us as we discuss the following topics in the webinar today   Prevention is better than cure. How can we prevent cancer? How can we reduce the risk of cancer? What are the common cancers? What are the screening guidelines for lung cancer,…

Nalini Satyanarayana, 72-year-old nonsmoker, was diagnosed with throat (voice box) cancer 10 years back because of exposure to second-hand smoke in her house. Today, as survivor, she has become an energetic tobacco control warrior and counsels patients after laryngeal surgery and teaches them to talk. When and how did you reckon a problem with your throat? It was January 2010. I felt my throat was hoarse. I could not speak clearly and was getting breathless. When medicines did not get me any…

Lymphedema is called the "Dirty Secret of Breast Cancer" for a reason. Breast Cancer patients were often not told about the risk of lymphedema and what needs to be done to prevent/manage it. Dr. Rohini Patil, gynaecologist, breast cancer survivor and Certified Lymphedema Therapist talks about lymphedema and how to manage it. In this recording she talks about breast cancer, the most common cancer among women in india and lymphedema. She explains all about lymphedema.  Keka Roy also…

Mona Choudhuri considers herself very lucky to have been diagnosed in the early stages of ovarian cancer. Here she shares her experience to help raise awareness of the importance of routine physical examinations and screenings for women. She also highlights the issue of lymphedema of the leg.  Ovarian cancer was never on my radar of health concerns. It was fibroids in my uterus that had been my constant worry since my mid-30s. I would have discomfort, bloating and frequent abdominal pain.…