Dimapur, Feb. 11: Doctors from Dr. B Baorooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) have participated at the virtual tumour board conducted by Tata Memorial Hospitals, Mumbai, on February 11.
Complicated cancer cases were discussed to decide upon further steps for precise diagnosis and to evolve uniform guidelines for treatment. The virtual tumour board discussed diagnostic and management issues related to certain gynecological cancers and tumors of soft tissue and bones.
The programme was attended by faculties, post graduate students, and fellows from BBCI, Guwahati.
Dr. Amal Chandra Kataki, Director of BBCI, stated that the virtual tumour board provided a platform for learning and to decide uniform treatment protocols for patients comparable to the best prevailing practice in the world.
Dr Kataki complimented Dr. Shekhar Basu, Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, and Dr. RA Badwe, Director of Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, for making this dream to connect all cancer treatment centres in the country into a reality.
Dr. Kataki further appealed to all the cancer treatment centres in the North Eastern region to join the National Cancer Grid network to ensure uniform standard of cancer care. This virtual tumour board will take place on a regular basis.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer projected that the burden of cancer in India is likely to almost double with an estimated 10 lakh new cancer cases in 2012 to about 17 lakh in 2035. Similarly, the number of cancer deaths is expected to rise from 680,000 in 2012 to 12 lakh in 2035.
Decreased survival in developing countries is likely due to a combination of advanced stage at diagnosis, limited access to quality cancer care, and the inability of patients to afford optimum treatment.
Therefore, there is a growing need to create awareness of cancer as a treatable disease amongst patients and primary care physicians, making cancer care available to patients at their door steps and identifying innovative, cost effective method of diagnosis and treatment. Standards of cancer diagnosis and treatment vary considerably between institutions, states and geographical regions.
It felt that there is a lack of uniformity in criteria set for prevention, early diagnosis, evidence-based treatment and follow-up of patients with cancer. This disparity has manifested primarily because of a lack of an established network of cancer centres across the country to implement common standard management guidelines.
One of the biggest challenges and needs for effective cancer control in India is for uniformly high standards of care to be provided throughout the country. Dissemination of high-quality cancer care across the country and ensuring uniformity of standards would eliminate the need for patients to have to travel long distances for optimal medical care.
To achieve these objectives, the National Cancer Grid (NCG) was formed in August 2012 with the mandate of linking cancer centres across India. At present 52 major cancer centres in the country are part of the network of NCG. This programme is an initiative of the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, and its activities are coordinated through Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, with support from the Tata Trusts.
National Cancer Grid has already made digital versions of all important medical journals freely available in libraries of the participating centres.
