Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Never too late to combat gastro-intestinal cancer

CHENNAI: A good percentage of persons with cancer continue to come in advanced stages, doctors say. Either from the lack of symptoms or from ignoring persistent, classic symptoms of cancer, a good number of people reach the doctors late. But the message today is that with gastrointestinal cancers, something is always possible even at very advanced stages.

Health Secretary V.K.Subburaj said sometime ago that 25 per cent of all cancers detected in Tamil Nadu were concerned with the gastro-intestinal tract.

At least two thirds of them will come at an advanced stage, says S.M.Chandramohan, head, gastrointestinal surgery, Government General Hospital. “It is a misconception that nothing can be done at this stage. Because of the rapid advancement of technology, better understanding of the disease and teamwork, we can ensure that patients lead a comfortable life,” he says.

“Even if we cannot prolong survival in some cases, we can assure the patients a good quality of life,” Dr. Chandramohan added. Ahmed Ali, former head of the department, quoting Hippocrates, said that it was the duty of the doctor to cure sometimes, treat often and comfort always. Stressing on the quality of life aspect, he said the patient should have as painless and dignified a life as possible.

With the latest armamentarium available to doctors, he said it was eminently possible to treat advanced malignancies now.

Dealing with GI cancers involves not only super specialisation of gastroenterology but also radiologists, endoscopists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and palliative care specialists. The teamwork was one way to ensure that all aspects of the disease were handled and that patient comfort remains supreme.

A substantial part of the handling of cancer involves managing pain. About 85 per cent of patients come complaining of pain, said Mallika Tiruvadanan of Lakshmi Pain and Palliative Care centre. There were curable cancers, when intervention was early, but even in the advanced stages, people should not lose hope and stop seeing the doctors, as some kind of intervention is possible.

In the rural areas, this awareness was lacking even among doctors, Dr. Tiruvadanan said.

For the patients, a combination of symptom relief treatment, disease management and psychological support would be offered by the multi-disciplinary team. “We are now seeing a lot more people with colon cancers, an indication that lifestyle factors are taking over,” she said.

The idea was to step up the awareness aspect, stress on the importance of following a healthy lifestyle and to be suspicious if some persist for a long while.

The loudest message however, was for patients to retain the hope, for, in the words of Dr. Chandramohan, “Something is always possible.”

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu