Aster Hospitals makes a huge difference in the treatment of cancer

Message from the CEO

Dr Sherbaz Bichu, CEO, Aster Hospitals and Clinics, UAE

World Cancer Day 2022 marks the three-year campaign centred on the issue of equity. Cancer treatment is a costly affair globally, hence affordability is a question. The good news is that there is a clear roadmap designed to ensure cancer patients are attended and treated with equality.

The Aster Comprehensive Cancer Care Program aims to reach this underserved segment of patients by offering affordable, accessible care including homecare services. Aster hospital has organised an event themed “Aster Conquerers”. The Aster comprehensive oncology unit is strongly backed by quaternary clinical services based out of Aster India Hospitals and tumour board evidence-based scientific clinical decisions.

We believe as a healthcare organisation it is our moral responsibility to care for the society, we play an integral role towards the well-being of mankind.

Aster Hospitals expresses solidarity towards the global vision to “close the care gap”.

Dr Sivaprakash Rathanaswamy, Consultant Surgical Oncology, Aster Hospitals UAE

What is your approach to treating cancer?

Personalised care and treatment is based on individual needs. It’s important to treat the patient as a whole and not only the cancer part. Involvement of the family too plays a vital part in successful treatment.

Why is early diagnosis of cancer so important? How in your opinion do healthcare providers help in creating awareness?

Early diagnosis helps in identifying the cancer before it spreads to other parts of the body, thereby making the treatment options with single modality such as surgery or radiation. Most of the times, it involves short duration of treatment, less financial burden, good prognosis and cure rates. Good quality of life is also most important.

How has the treatment of cancer changed during your career? What new developments do you find very promising in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer?

As a surgical oncologist, I have experienced a lot of changes in surgery towards organ conservation. Initially, radical aggressive surgeries were used in most of the cancers. Now thanks to technologies such as laparoscopy and robotic surgery along with advancements in chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy and other allied cancer therapies, we are able to achieve same cure rates with better quality of life.

What does the future of breast cancer treatment hold?

In view of enormous research in breast cancer treatment, the future treatment options in breast cancer will be more and more individualised. More of screening awareness, minimal invasive surgery and sentinel node biopsy, and intraoperative radiotherapy, are some examples.

What developments would you like to see in cancer treatment?

I am looking forward to see more of genetic research to identify high-risk individuals and targeted screening modalities with implementation of preventive measures and early detection and treatment.

Dr Pranay Taori, Specialist Medical Oncology, Aster Hospitals UAE

How has the medical profession evolved in relation to cancer treatment?

Medical science is very dynamic, and in that oncology is very effectual. Cancers, which were not curable in past have come within the puriew of cure. We have evolved in all aspects of cancer treatments or surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Now apart from cure, we are looking forward to good quality life for cancer survivors.

We are heading towards organ conservation due to modern surgical techniques, standard chemotherapy protocols and modern radiotherapy techniques. Limb conservation, breast conservation, and larynx conservation is standard of care nowadays. We are heading towards decreasing morbidity of cancer treatment.

What is the one thing we can all do to reduce overall cancer risk?

To decrease cancer risk we can definitely adopt healthy lifestyles as far as diet is concerned. High protein diet and low carbohydrate, or low fat diet is recommended. Regular mild exercise is recommended to prevent cancer. Smoking, and use of oral contraceptives should be avoided.

What is chemotherapy and how does it help in cancer treatment?

Cancer being a systemic disease, chemotherapy is a systemic treatment for cancer, preventing its spread to distant organs. Chemotherapy can be used with adjuvant neoadjuvant or palliative intent. After surgery, chemotherapy is given to prevent systemic spread. This is called adjuvant treatment. If cancer is inoperable the patient is given chemotherapy to decrease tumour size and ease surgery for complete resection. This is neoadjuvant treatment. If the cancer has spread, chemotherapy can help in decreasing tumour bulk and also decrease cancer related symptoms due to metastasis, such as cough because of lung metastasis or bone pain because of bone metastasis. Here, the chemotherapy has palliative intent. Thus, chemotherapy has a major role in cancer treatment whether adjuvant, neoadjuvant, or palliative. This is why chemotherapy is important in increasing survival and giving better palliation in a cancer patient’s life.

Is the importance of chemotherapy changing due to new treatments? How can chemotherapeutic agents contribute to increasing efficacy in the context of new treatments?

Chemotherapy has evolved in a big way and now newer chemotherapy drugs with lesser side effects with better efficacy are coming up. Apart from chemotherapy, combination of chemotherapy along with targeted therapy towards cancer cells is promising. Targeted therapy is recommended in breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancers and in some blood cancers such as chronic myeloid leukemia. Immunotherapy is also one of the recent developments where the agents alter body immunity so as to kill cancer cells. Immunotherapy is mainly useful in melanoma renal cell carcinomas.It is a promising therapy and tried in various cancers in advanced stages.