24/7 hot line,dedicated centre for abdominal cancer patients

Says Dr Sujai Hegde,surgical oncologist,“multidisciplinary treatment approach has become vital today. We have so many patients coming in that it requires a specialised approach to detect and diagnose the type of cancer to provide the right care for the patient,’’ he said.

Gastrointestinal cancer (cancer of the digestive system) includes cancers of the esophagus,gallbladder,liver,pancreas,stomach,small intestine,large intestine (colon) and rectum.

According to Dr Minnish Jain,medical oncologist,“25-30 per cent of the cancer load is on abdominal activity. Sadly,we do not have the guidelines on the right kind of care for these patients,” he rued. Hence,a group of surgeons decided to come together and as a team effort have set up the Centre for advanced Gastrointestinal Oncology (CAGO),at Ruby Hall Clinic’s Kamalnayan Bajaj Cancer Centre to provide state -of-the-art advanced care to people in and around Pune city.

Rapid changes in cancer treatment has brought in the era of superspecialities. “Specialists dedicated to treat cancer of particular subtype has became a necessity,” said Jain. “A 24-hour hot line for patients will respond to various queries. For the purpose,some 300 specialists from across the state will attend the launch,” said Jain.

According to Hegde,tobacco consumption and lifestyle seem to be one of the main reasons for aggressive presentation of this cancer,he said.

Gastroenterologist Dr. Nitin Pai felt that early detection of cancer was possible with endoscopic technique.