Combating cancer is possible, say experts

Delhi, February 5: Cancerdefine is claiming more lives than ever and the cases are on a constant rise but the advancement of technology has helped unveil the fact that cancer is not necessarily synonymous to death. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment can combat cancer.

“With new drugs and technology coming in to treat, and cure, cancerdefine, at least in the early stages - is no longer synonymous with death,” said Ashok Vaid, a leading oncologistdefine. "New drugs and targeted treatment in radiotherapy and chemotherapy have evolved and now the scope is multi-pronged and multidimensional.”

Cancer is among the leading causes of death in India and at any given point of time, there are almost 1.5 million cancer cases.

According to an estimate of the World Health Organization, cancer will kill 84 million people between 2005 and 2015.

Mass screening and spreading awareness of the common types of cancers like cervix and breast in women, and tobacco related cancers, are important in fighting the disease. There are still a lot of people who do not know about the symptoms of cancer, which leads to long ignorance and delayed treatment.

"There is tremendous scope for cure now, unlike early days. In the US, Stage I and II cancers once detected have a 65 percent cure rate, even Stage III and IV cancers can be dealt with," Vaid said. “The motto should be - catch it early, treat it early. Now we focus on two things, mainly to prolong the life, that is add years, and secondly to add quality to life.”

Previously, cancer patients were treated with radiationdefine and chemotherapy, which often caused side effects and permanent damage to healthy cells.
However, the technology has evolved over a time, and it now seeks to provide comfort to the patient alongside treatment.

Despite the advancement of technology and cancer making its way into the curable diseases, experts hold to the cliché – Prevention is better than cure.