Kerala: Decision to formulate guidelines for cancer care

KOCHI: A meeting of Kerala Cancer Care Grid, a voluntary association of hospitals engaged in cancer care in the state, held in Kochi on Saturday has come out with a decision to formulate cancer treatment guidelines.

The guidelines are formulated mainly to facilitate primary prevention and early detection of cervix, oral cavity and breast cancers by 15% and improve cure rates.

As many as 65 oncologists from both public and private sectors representing regional cancer centres, medical colleges, multi-specialty private hospitals participated in the meeting.

Prior to the meeting, an online discussion forum was created in eight common cancers (brain, head and neck, breast, lungs, gastro-intestinal, gynaecology, sarcoma and lymphoma, leukaemia) in Kerala.

The meeting discussed minimum standard of care for treatment of common cancers and possible hurdles to implement it. The focus was to keep the patient as the centre point in decision making and the sole beneficiary. This guideline is expected to deliver uniform cancer care to all patients across the state.

Malabar Cancer Centre director Dr B Satheesan outlined the review process and individual specialty group deliberated on how best to adopt national cancer grid guidelines in Kerala.

In the afternoon session, doctors discussed recommendations of individual tumour types.

It was decided that the consensus document will be distributed to all oncologists of the state. The individual group will collate the suggestion and final consensus will be formulated in a second review meeting planned on March 30 and 31. It is expected that this recommendation will be submitted to the government by mid-April for possible implementation in the state.

The state government has developed a state cancer control strategy under the leadership of Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.