Cancer

Prajakta Paranjpe, 47, a Singapore resident, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, with almost no symptoms. A surgery and six rounds of chemo later, she has been clear for a year, and has even gone trekking to the Himalayas. Read how she navigated her recovery process. Today, I am totally fit and healthy. I am working full time and trekking on the weekends. In fact, I believe I am a lot healthier now than I was 5-7 years ago. At present, there is no evidence of cancer in my body. My last chemo was…

Binny*, a 57 year old woman from Mumbai shares her experience of living with a stoma bag after a diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer and the lifestyle changes she has to make to live life to the fullest. And practical and useful tips on travel, diet and clothing when living with a stoma.  Please tell us a bit about your condition. Can you describe it? I am a colorectal cancer survivor. I have had colostomy surgery (called Abdominoperineal Resection) in which a part of my large intestine (colon…

प्रमुख मेडिकल ऑन्कोलॉजिस्ट और शोधकर्ता डॉ. वनिता नोरोन्हा ने पेशेंट्सएंगेज पॉडकास्ट पर बुजुर्गों में कैंसर देखभाल के लिए आवश्यक विशेष वृद्धावस्था संबंधी मूल्यांकन के बारे में चर्चा की, और बताया कि ऐसे मूल्यांकन से उपचार को व्यक्तिगत बनाने में कैसे मदद मिल सकती है। जानकारी के लिए पढ़ें पॉडकास्ट पर आधारित यह लेख: जेरीऐट्रिक ऑन्कोलॉजी या जेरीऐट्रिक कैंसर केयर (बुजुर्गों के कैंसर उपचार और देखभाल के क्षेत्र) क्या हैं? जेरीऐट्रिक ऑन्कोलॉजी या जेरीऐट्रिक कैंसर केयर (बुजुर्गों के कैंसर उपचार और देखभाल…

Dr Vanita Noronha, a leading medical oncologist and researcher spoke on the PatientsEngage Podcast on the value of Geriatric Cancer Care and how Geriatric Assessment can help personalize treatment for older persons. What is Geriatric Oncology or Geriatric Cancer Care? Given that cancer is predominantly considered a disease of aging, why do we need a special focus on geriatric cancer care?  Geriatric means older and Geriatric oncology means Cancer in older people. There is a greater chance…

Are you passionate about improving access to research, fostering better care and creating a positive impact on clinical trials and guidelines for cancer? Apply to PARC (Patient Advocate Research and Clinical Guidelines) Training Program) 2025 now. What is the PARC (Patient Advocate Research and Clinical Guidelines) Training Program The National Cancer Grid and PatientsEngage are collaborating to build a team of Patient Advocates to work towards advancing patient and public involvement in…

Suchismita Das was an Engineering undergraduate when the diagnosis of a rare soft tissue sarcoma (rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer) in the lung, hit her like a bolt from the blue and turned her world upside down. She fought it out bravely and now she is helping others who going through lung cancer. I am Suchismita Das, 28 years old, and a rare soft tissue sarcoma survivor. My life was just like any other girl studying engineering till I started facing health issues. What were your early symptoms…

Prevention of Brain Tumours: We cannot prevent brain tumours/cancer, but we can reduce our risk of having them. Like any other cancer, brain cancer risk can also be reduced by: Avoid/Limit your exposure to Harmful Substances The toxins in our environment and pollutants can have unfavourable effects on the brain. Pesticides, industrial chemicals, and air and water pollutants, and even indoor pollutants are known to contribute to the development of brain tumours as per the scientific literature.…

Management of Brain Tumour Role of palliative care: Palliative care helps in improving the quality of life of not just the patient but the families and caregivers of patients with cancer. It has many roles: Symptom Management: Palliative care helps to mitigate and manage many symptoms due to cancer and the related treatment like pain, nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, and breathlessness. It combines several modalities like use of medications, physiotherapy, counselling etc. Emotional and…

Treatment for brain tumour and brain cancer: The treatment plan is usually decided based on the physical assessment of the patient, age, advice of the Neuro-oncologist (specialist for brain cancer) and the oncology team or Neurosurgeon (if the brain tumour is benign) and is usually based on factors like: Type of Tumour: Depends on whether the tumour is cancerous or benign, and the specific type of tumour. Grade of tumour: Tumours may range from low-grade to high-grade and the…

Brain Tumour Diagnosis Process : Initially the doctor (typically a neurologist) will take a detailed history to understand the duration and intensity of the symptoms. They may inquire about past and current health issues, current and past medications, surgical and family history etc. This will be followed by a general physical exam and a neurological examination (neurocognitive and neuro-ophthalmological) to check for: Balance and coordination. Mental status/Awareness/Ability to follow simple…