Boost for cancer therapy: AIIMS gets tumor board

Bhopal: Adopting the best approach to the management of cancer patients, AIIMS Bhopal tumor board will be formed to facilitate multidisciplinary cancer treatment involving multiple departments, according to a press release here on Saturday.

The tumor board will help in improvement of cancer treatment services, cancer registration in hospital-based cancer registry, officials said. A number of experts in MP medical education department are also working district wide implementation of the idea.

AIIMS Bhopal director Dr Ajai Singh highlighted the importance of sensitisation of modern treatment modality especially for head and neck cancer and pediatric tumor. He was speaking at a special academic session of tumor board held in AIIMS Bhopal on Proton Therapy.

Cancer treatment centre at AIIMS Bhopal is equipped with all facilities for cancer care including radiation oncology, surgical oncology and hemato-oncology.

Special session keynote speaker was Dr Sapna Nangia, a senior Chennai based consultant. In her speech on ‘Proton Therapy - a paradigm shift in radiotherapy for cancer care’, she highlighted different aspects of proton-based radiotherapy treatment in head and neck cancer, breast cancer, gynecological cancer and pediatric oncology. “Proton therapy is often the preferred option for treating solid tumors in children because protons can be controlled precisely so there is less radiation to normal tissues, helping prevent serious complications and lessening the chance of secondary tumors. Proton therapy has multiple advantages that targets tumours and cancer cells with precision and minimal exit dose thus reducing overall toxicity. It also reduces the probability and/or severity of short and long-term side effects on surrounding healthy tissues and organs. It is favorable to be used to treat recurrent tumors, even in patients who have already received radiation,” she said.