Cancer

Pavithra Sakthivel, who had severe headaches and a seizure, was diagnosed with Grade 3 malignant brain tumor. But she recovered quickly in six months. Find out about the treatment and surgical options that worked for her.    I am a 36 year old teacher and an Education Specialist. I was leading a happy, healthy life with my husband and cute 6 year old son till January 2017. Trouble began when I started getting headaches. Initially, they were appeared routine, but grew in frequency and…

Colorectal cancer is the 4th most common cause of deaths related to cancer worldwide. Lynch syndrome or HNPCC is one of most common genetic causes of Colon cancer. Here are a few questions to better understand Lynch syndrome and how we can screen for it. 1. What is the Lynch syndrome? Which genes are involved? Lynch Syndrome is also known as hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer or HNPCC. It has a genetic disposition, hence the term hereditary and is known to be associated or  the…

Dora Mukherjee went through the entire battery of tests and procedures after being detected with a Right Breast Carcinoma. She recalls her pain and anguish as well as the love she received during the critical period. The beginning with a diagnosis My painful journey with cancer started on 1st February 2014 when I was referred by my Bank's Medical Officer to Dr Gandhi's Imaging Clinic for Bilateral Mammography in Mumbai. Sonomammography was done which revealed a case of carcinoma…

We prepare ourselves for everything, but most of us are in denial about death. Aparna Das shares the one final lesson her father taught her during his last few days as he breathed his last. My father was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in October 2017. Of course, he and all of us did everything in our capacity to save him. But he passed away on the 20th of April 2018. The three days leading to his death were probably the most painful that our family had faced collectively. But I have a…

A loss of a child is unimaginable. Different people try to cope with it in different ways. Deepa and Jacob K Joy set up the Asawari Music Foundation in memory of their daughter Asawari, who was a musical talent herself. Deepa Jacob talks about the Trust, grief and how she has coped with the loss of her child. Please tell us what led to Asawari Musical Foundation being set up? Asawari Music Foundation was set up to remember my daughter Asawari who passed away when she was 15. She was suffering…

This mother-daughter interview takes us through a journey of a patient and caregiver, facing the turmoil of ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment. Alina Rizvi is a resident of New Delhi, who has been taking care of her mother, Rabab Rizvi, a cancer patient for the last three years. Their journey has been tough, but a source of inspiration, affection and sheer joy that a mother-daughter relationship constitutes. Please tell us a bit about your condition  Daughter - My mother was diagnosed…

Dr Pallavi Vasal, a Consultant Obstetrics and Gynecology at W Pratiksha Hospital, Gurgaon answers comprehensively to a wide range of questions on Ovarian Cancer - signs, screenings and risks, specifically with endometriosis, cysts and breast cancer.  #AskTheDoctor Series. 1.   Ovarian Cancer does not exhibit easy to spot signs and symptoms. So what should women watch out for? Most women have very few symptoms but you may experience one or more of the following: Lower abdominal…

An interview on a wide range of issues - from survival rates of breast cancer to quality of life, from the use of chemotherapy to breast reconstruction - with Dr. Vinay Deshmane, Consultant in Surgical Oncology & Breast Diseases and Medical Director and Jnt. Hon secretary of the Indian Cancer Society  1.    Has the survival rate of Breast Cancer changed in India in recent years? Why is that? There is paucity of data on survival rates of most cancers including Breast…

Suparna Mazumder has been a single caregiver for her mother who was diagnosed with metaplastic carcinoma of the ducts. She recounts her journey  – as an organizer of treatment, as a physical and mental care giver, as the only earning member of the family, as a single parent with a child The Diagnosis It all started in January 2004. 17th January, 11pm. While I was reading the newspaper, my domestic help told me that my mother had been feeling her breasts in the afternoon and had said…

Philip Jacob, 72, who has Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer and has been under treatment since October 2017, demystifies life’s uncertainties as he narrates his own diagnosis of cancer. I strongly doubt that anyone of us believes in immortality. The adverb 'strongly' is used intentionally as experience has also exposed me to the existence of a lunatic fringe in every society. The real question, in my opinion, is how many of us even reflect on it except in brief moments when confronted up and personal…