FDA approves first use of novel immune system drug for cancer

Patients with advanced cancer often experience cachexia. This is extremely distressing to caregivers. Dr. Arjun Gupta, gastrointestinal oncologist and researcher addresses questions on this difficult topic. What is cachexia? People with cancer often experience weight loss, loss of muscle mass, and become weaker as the cancer progresses. Their quality of life decreases, and they may experience increased toxicity from cancer treatments. This collection of symptoms is called ‘’cachexia’’. It is…

Cancer patients and survivors can travel. However it is important to follow good travel practices. Dr. Shital Patel shares tips which include valuable contribution from Urvi Sabnis, Nandita Muralidhar and Mona Choudhuri, all cancer survivors. As a cancer patient, before you embark on any journey, make sure you acquire the consent of your treating doctor. Schedule it so that you do not miss out on any follow-up appointments or tests. Make sure you are feeling fit and healthy, start off with…

Melvin George, 30 shares his experience of getting a diagnosis of Astrocytoma, a brain tumour, navigating the care options, the side effects of the cancer and the treatment, how the experience affected him personally and how faith was the bedrock of his recovery. Plus work related challenges. Shocking Diagnosis July 11th 2017. I was on my bed in my dorm room and as I woke up, I saw the ceiling vibrating vigorously. I think that was my first episode of seizure but wasn’t sure what it was at that…

Prima shares the challenges of caring for her father who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the ureter and kidney, the effect that COVID had on the treatment choices, the pain he went through, the palliative care choices and the emotional turmoil of it all. I vividily remember that afternoon when he implored, “Take me to the doctor, I’m uncomfortable. I’m in pain and want to sleep”. My husband gave him his morphine pill and told him we would go see his doctor soon. He kept saying, he wanted…

Navigating Care and Survivorship Issues of Sarcoma, A Rare and Forgotten Cancer Sarcoma is a rare and complex type of cancer that is often misdiagnosed or diagnosed late. It also requires a multi-disciplinary approach. There are also long term issues that survivors face. We speak with a distinguished panel of sarcoma experts and survivors who are trying to address the various diagnostic and survivorship challenges of this forgotten cancer Our panelists are Dr. Sameer Rastogi, Medical Oncologist…

Very little is talked about the late effects and long term effects of cancer therapy. Dr Sushma Agrawal, Professor, Department of Radiotherapy, SGPGI, Lucknow, India addresses questions around late effects in cancer survivors and the impact on quality of life. The intent of this article is to ensure that patients and their families are prepared and can discuss this with their physician and to take pro-active steps to prevent or manage these effects. 1.   In your opinion, time-wise,…

31st May is World No Tobacco Day Tobacco causes many diseases and high rates of mortality. Cigarette smoking and chewable tobacco are both harmful to us. We bring together a distinguished panel to not only talk about the risks but also practical steps on how to quit tobacco Our panelists are Dr. Anil D. Cruz, President - UICC, Director - Oncology Services, Apollo Hospitals Dr. D. Raghunadharao, Dr. B.C. Roy awardee and Chief Medical Oncologist KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad Dr. Ashok Kumar…

Asha Sharma, a young engineer, narrates the harrowing delays she faced in diagnosing her endometrial cancer (also called uterine cancer) and wishes to use her hardships and learnings to strengthen advocacy for women’s health.  2018 was a difficult year for me - both professionally and personally. At work, it was after 10 years as Physical Design Engineer at SanDisk (now Western Digital) that I had changed my domain to signaling and power integration engineer. I had taken a vertical…

Navigating childhood cancer care is challenging for the patient and the family. It can get even more challenging when multiple disciplines are involved as in the case of Osteo Sarcoma and Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma. Join us as we discuss a collaborative model that facilitates timely and affordable access to treatment and improves outcomes for patients. Our panelists are: Dr. Ramandeep Arora, Senior Consultant, Pediatric Oncology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Delhi Poonam Bagai, Founder,…

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…