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
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
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