This following article has been adapted from our partner Care Across

Much research has focused on the relationship of nutrition with cancer. This article analyzes food families & how they affect risk for specific types of cancer.

Obesity leads to higher death rates for some types of cancer
Obesity is associated with higher death rates for cancer, particularly the following cancer types:
·       breast
·       cervix
·       colon
·       esophagus
·       gallbladder
·       kidney
·       liver
·       ovary
·       pancreas
·       prostate
·       rectum
·       stomach (in men)
·       uterus

Which foods are considered protective against cancer?
A diet rich in fiber is protective against rectal cancer. A daily threshold of about five servings of vegetables is considered to reduce risk of cancer in the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach and colorectum. The effect is stronger among older subjects (Slattery, 2004; Key, 2004).
Concerning fruits and vegetables, there is strong evidence for a protective effect for cancers of stomach, esophagus, lung, oral cavity and pharynx, endometrium, pancreas and colon (Steinmetz, 1996).

Meat, alcohol and salt increase cancer risk
The consumption of red and processed meat or meat products is significantly associated with colorectal cancer. In addition, meat and heterocyclic amines formed in cooking have been correlated to breast cancer (De Stefani, 1997).
Alcohol causes cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus and liver; it also slightly increases the risk for breast cancer (Key, 2004). Furthermore, salt-preserved foods and high salt intake probably increase the risk for stomach cancer (Key, 2004).
Finally, very hot drinks and foods probably increase the risk for cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx and esophagus (Key, 2004).

What we eat can affect our risk of cancer
As discussed, diet is a very important component for health overall, and cancer in particular. The adoption of a dietary pattern emphasizing the high consumption of fruits and vegetables, in combination with the low consumption of red and processed meat could decrease the risk of cancer.    

This following article has been adapted from our partner Care Across

Cancer care in India
The numbers are mind-numbing: the new cancer diagnoses in India reach a staggering 948,858 cases a year. This is according to the research conducted from cancer researchers and other experts during the recent “Afro Middle East Asian Symposium on Cancer Cooperation”, at the Apollo Cancer Conference in Chennai, India.

Cancer reporting in India
It is important to note that experts believe that the incidence figures underestimate the actual extent of tumor incidence. The Indian Council of Medical Research population based cancer registry of New Delhi measure of breast cancer incidence is 29.3 per 100,000 of the population in 1994-95. Furthermore, the Indian Cancer Society’s Maharashtra population based registry reports 26.8 per 100,000 in 2001. Both these figures are higher than the < 19.5 incidence per 100,000 population reported for 2002 in the Globocan global cancer database.

Oncologists, Cancer Hospitals, and equipment
India has 1,500 qualified oncologists and more than 5,000 doctors treating cancer patients. It also has 27 cancer hospitals, and a further 300 hospitals with cancer departments; across these hospitals, there is a reported 300 radiotherapy machines in working order.

Furthermore, an official national healthcare policy for cancer has been established, making ways for improved care across the nation. However, currently there are no official guidelines for cancer.

Oncology Training and Education
Experts are strong believers in Education as a basic pillar for progress in Oncology. A systematic approach is necessary to address educational needs of specialists, nurses, as well as the public. International meetings offer great opportunity to devise such strategies. For instance, meetings between the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) with delegates from the Indian Cooperative Oncology Network (ICON) are very important to promote collaboration and learning.

Retrospective analyses, medical audits and high-quality publications are also very important for sustaining high levels of education. For instance, the Indian Journal of Medical and Pediatric Oncology recently published a special issue on chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) which included original manuscripts from 19 oncology centers across India. The data represented 8,115 patients of CML in chronic phase and is the largest data on this disease from any country.

Making progress a priority
By providing a forum to share clinical observations, educational material, research findings and news of conferences and meetings, experts hope to continue sharing success stories and finding unique solutions. As the infrastructure improves, the quality of care for cancer patients will improve as well, and this remains the top focus area for oncologists.

References
Purvish M Parikh, T Raja, L Mula-Hussain, RP Baral, P Ingle, P Narayanan, N Tsikai, MO Baki, N Satyapal, KO Adusei, A Popoola, A Musibi, E Nyaim, U Tsomo, C Opio, A Jamshed, P Reddy: Afro Middle East Asian Symposium on Cancer Cooperation,  South Asian Journal of Cancer, April-June 2014, Volume 3, Issue 2. DOI:10.4103/2278-330X.130452

This following article has been adapted from Care Across

In March, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) released a report called “The State of Cancer Care in America, 2014” which examines many factors that affect the ability of the oncology community to provide high quality, high-value cancer care [1]. Some of these factors are presented in the following lines.

Growing demand for Cancer care services

It is estimated that by 2025, demand for oncology services will grow by 42%, while the supply of oncologists will grow by 28%. This translates to a shortage of about 1487 oncologists by that time. Only 3% of oncologists are based in rural areas, and African and Latin American oncologists are also under-represented.

Furthermore, and regarding physicians’ compensation, according to the 2013 Medscape Physician Compensation Report, Oncology was one of only two specialties to experience an overall decline in annual income between 2011 and 2012.

Improved care and quality of life for cancer patients

Today, cancer patient care has improved dramatically compared to 5 decades ago. Two thirds of Americans now live at least 5 years after cancer diagnosis and the cancer death rate has decreased 20% since the early 1990s. This has resulted in 13.7 million cancer survivors living in the USA. Thankfully, there is also significant improvement in the quality of life in these patients.

All these factors have raised the overall cost of providing oncology healthcare services. One study estimated that the annual excess economic burden of survivorship among recently diagnosed cancer survivors (<1 year from diagnosis) is more than $16,000 per survivor and among those formerly diagnosed (>1 year from diagnosis) more than $4,000 per year.

Issues such as the increasing cancer burden, the growing ranks of cancer survivors and the newly insured patients will require changes in health care policy.

Conclusions: stay optimistic and move Oncology forward

This is a field that attracts increasing attention, as scientists and doctors are making great progress in offering patients improved overall survival and quality of life. While challenges remain, we must remain optimistic about the future of each individual patient, as well as about the overall healthcare system.

References
1. Trent, Laura: The State of Cancer Care in America, 2014: A Report by the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Journal of Oncology Practice; March 2014, Vol. 10 Issue 2, p119. http://jop.ascopubs.org/content/10/2/119.full