Cancer

Cancer affects and changes family and societal relationships. How are interpersonal relationships impacted when a woman is undergoing treatment for cancer? How do priorities change? We spoke to a cross section of breast cancer patients and survivors across the country and beyond to find out their experience, how their relationships were affected, how their outlook of life changes and what keeps them motivated. Did any of your interpersonal relationships with family, friends, relatives,…

Jayshree Guru was diagnosed with breast cancer, but she decided to be strong to face the treatment, for her own sake as well as for her family. Having dealt with cancer, she was not prepared when Lymphoedema set in. With help and assistance from Lakshmi Pain and Palliative Care, Jayshree learnt to treat lymphoedema.  I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 48yrs.  It was tough, and I did not think much about it at that time. One thing I decided - that I will not become weak and feel…

Lymphoedema can be caused by cancer, surgery of any kind, radiotherapy or even infection and can result in swelling, pain and discomfort. Dr. Subathra Muthukumaran of Lakshmi Pain and Palliative Care Trust shares how it can be managed by simple exercises and what to avoid in such a situation. The goal of palliative care is to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life of those with chronic illnesses since people go through not just pain but various other symptoms. One such distressing symptom…

We come across various news and stories about what to and what not to eat during lymphoma. Beware of all statements that claim certain food or diets can cure Cancer. Here are a few myths and common questions people have about diet and lymphoma. 1. Is it safe to eat grapefruits? Grapefruit and grapefruit juice is said to be unsafe when on lymphoma treatment. This is true because grapefruit is found to potentially interact with a specific pathway called CYP3A4. This pathway is involved in the…

Cancer is not a death sentence. There is no rule that says a person who has cancer will die before one who hasn’t. Nandita Muralidhar, who had breast cancer, recounts how her cheerful and positive approach eased the gloom. Cancer. The very word freezes one in one’s tracks, sends a shiver down the spine, brings up the memory of every sad movie you’ve seen…because it has been portrayed as the end, or at least the beginning of the end. Sad music, copious tears or a struggle towards an inevitable…

The psychological impact of premature menopause can range from anxiety and insomnia to low self-esteem and conflict in interpersonal relationships. Dr. Madanki Srinivasan, gynecologist/obstetrician and now mental health counsellor, tells us how to make the journey smooth. What are the main reasons for early or premature menopause? The causes for early or premature menopause would be premature ovarian failure, genetic, surgical, or drug-induced as in by chemotherapy and radiation during…

Cancer and its treatment like Chemotherapy and Stem Cell Therapy can weaken your body's immune system and make you vulnerable to food borne diseases. Dr Shital Raval recommends some guidelines to help keep your food safe and prevent infections. Cancer treatment often weakens the person’s immunity. This is called immunosuppression, a situation in which the body's immune system is made less effective usually by drugs. It puts the patient at a higher risk of contracting infections and food-borne…

At 41, Hitesh Bhutta was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma of the stomach. According to him, understanding lymphoma can be daunting and complicated, especially the testing and prognosis of the disease, but look for positives. It is strange how sometimes a casual infection like flu could actually harbour an ominous illness. That's what I learnt in my journey with cancer. It started in 2006. I was 41-years-old. One morning, my father and I woke with viral fever. We both had sore throat, cough…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration made the first gene therapy - CAR-T Cell Therapy available in the United States, ushering in a new approach to the treatment of cancer and other serious and life-threatening diseases. The FDA approved Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) for certain pediatric and young adult patients with a form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). “We’re entering a new frontier in medical innovation with the ability to reprogram a patient’s own cells to attack a deadly cancer,”…

A clinical trial update on long term research carried out on patients with advanced gastro intestinal stromal tumours 10% of patients with advanced and aggressive GIST cancer have survived more than 10 years after treatment with one of the first successful targeted cancer drugs. They are living free of any progression of their cancer. These are based on long-term results from a major international clinical trial of patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) a decade after…