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  • Cancer

    This Community will address questions and discussions on all forms of Cancer. We will support each other - patients and caregivers in their journey  

  • Choosing a Life of Independence Over A Cure For Disability
    Prof Anita Ghai, a leading disability rights activist and academic reflects on her own life, her life with polio,  rheumatic heart disease and breast cancer and her persistent struggles with undesirable societal attitudes towards disability. ‘How come you had polio? Were you not vaccinated? Why was your mother not more careful?’ These are some questions that always haunt me. Of course, there are many others such as ‘why me?’ that all of us always ask ourselves. But what can one reply…
  • A stock pic of a woman as a patient resting wearing a bandana on her head and her hand is being held by another person who is not visible in the pic
    Hair Loss Due To Chemotherapy Is Repairable
    Pranab Kumar Basu has turned a counsellor after being a full-time caregiver to his wife who was suffering from Cancer. He discusses his experiences of supporting cancer patients who are apprehensive about hair loss. In your experience, who suffer more hair loss after chemotherapy: men or women? Hair loss occurs in both men and women but in respect of volume women suffer more hair loss. For whom is it more traumatic: men or women? Is there an age profile that is affected more? It is more…
  • Picture has Pranay a Lymphoma survivor with his sister on the left. Picture is a little blurry
    Failing Is Never An Option
    Pranay Rangra, 34 from Mumbai was diagnosed with Stage 2 Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He shares his journey of dealing with cancer, the side effects of treatment and getting back into the workforce with the support of his family and colleagues Early Symptoms I have always been on the healthy side, but around late December of 2016, I started losing weight at a rapid pace. Initially I didn’t pay much attention to it and was actually glad to become a bit slimmer. Along with this weight loss, I started…
  • Image Description: Head shot of a 77 year old survivor of cancer of the vocal chord
    I Now Realise The Value Of Life
    Dilip Kumar Kanjilal, 77 from Kolkata has fought cancer of the Vocal Chords and emerged a winner. He looks back to recall his struggle which has also reiterated his faith in life. Professionally, I used to be a driver of the long-distance state bus for 30 years. I had the responsibility to take the passengers to their destinations safely and I was good at it. Likewise, when I was attacked by the big C-Cancer, I was not engulfed by fear, tension, agony. I faced it bravely like a warrior. What is…
  • Stock image of a woman in blue scarf in the foreground and a group of people in the background pointing to her
    "Its Time For Film Characters That Survive Cancer!"
    Cancer stigmas are often barriers for seeking diagnosis, as well as treatment and rehabilitation. Shubha Maudgal and Susmitra Mitra of Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA), Mumbai give us an insight into the current taboos surrounding cancer and the challenges such stigmas pose for patients and society. 1. What does cancer stigma entail? There are two kinds of stigma involved with cancer. One is Self which is in the mind of patients themselves, stemming from guilt or shame.  The other is…
  • I Value Every Moment of My Life Now
    Parimal Ghosh, an 80 year old war veteran and now a cancer survivor, relives his experience of battling the condition for 22 years, his emotions and shares what he has learnt from the whole episode. He is now also an active crusader of the Cancer Awareness Campaign. How would you introduce yourself? I fought the Indo-Pak War in 1965, the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, and am now fighting against Big-C or Cancer since late 1995. Perhaps, it would be best to call me a Fighter Who Lived For…
  • Bad Death Avoidable with Palliative Care
    Specialty palliative care, in contrast to standard oncology care, can provide an extra layer of support for patients with lung cancer and their families. Dr Rajam Iyer, a pulmonologist and strong proponent of palliative care, enumerates its benefits for lung cancer patients. What is palliative care for lung cancer? In India, lung cancer constitutes 6.9 per cent of all new cancer cases and 9.3 per cent of all cancer related deaths in both sexes. At the time of…
  • Image: Sanjay Jaiswal, with black hair and a moustache is an Oral Cancer survivor and stands in a red shirt against a yellow background
    At 42, I Learned To Speak Again With The Help Of Tongue Twisters
    Early detection of mouth cancer helped Sanjay Jaiswal minimize postoperative challenges, discomfort and deformities. Here, he recounts his difficult journey and how he worked hard to get back his life. I developed a small ulcer in the mouth when I was 42, sometime in August 2010. It was at the back of my tongue, actually between my tongue, gums and jaw bone. I ignored it initially thinking it to be some kind of a boil. But when it became bothersome I went to an ENT specialist. He gave me some…
  • Non Healing Ulcer in Mouth Could be Cancerous
    There is almost 10 times higher risk of developing head and neck cancers in persons consuming both alcohol and tobacco, warns Dr Shaikh Muzammil, consultant medical oncologist, Hinduja Healthcare Surgical, and advises cutting down on risks to stay protected. Head and neck cancers account for more than 5.5 lakh of the total cancer cases reported in India every year, putting India in the sixth place worldwide. What are main types of head and neck cancers? The most common type of head and neck…
  • Defeated Cancer, One Push At A Time
    Shilpa Aneja, 34 is a Stage 3 breast cancer survivor from Jaipur and credits her recovery to proper maintenance of a physical exercise routine and an unbeatable attitude and positive mindset. Here, she shares her gutsy life principles, strong commitment to mental and physical health, and immeasurable love for her daughter that helped her combat cancer. Shilpa, please tell us a bit about your diagnosis and the treatment I was diagnosed with stage 3 metastatic breast cancer in November 2016. My…
Hello! My name is Sarayu Narayan, and I am a student of Master's of Applied Psychology (Clinical and Counselling Practice) at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. As part of my curriculum, I am conducting a study on Resilience, Body image…
Losing a mother is the deepest sorrows a heart can know. Nothing on this earth can ever replace the love and care of a parent. It was that fateful day 8th Nov,2020 that within minutes our lives were shattered and everything changed forever. Mom was…
  82 year old elderly woman diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Lives with elderly husband in Bangalore. Need for good nurse and home set up for palliative care. Looking for options other than Portea.  Resources suggested by Pallium India…
Background: Although advancements in systemic therapy have improved the outlook for pancreatic adenocarcinoma, it is not known if patients get access to these therapies. We aimed to examine the patterns and factors associated with access to…
Here are a few things wrong with a mainstream media article like this  https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/diagnostics/can-neem-h… It confuses prevention with cure It mentions various studies with no link to any study Is neem a…
What can the doctor, a friend or a family member say to help the cancer patient feel better? What would you like to hear?    
This blog on the cancer research UK site addresses the concern around sugar and cancer.  Does sugar cause cancer? Does sugar feed cancer cells, making them grow more aggressively? The origins of this linkage and the role of a scientist called…
An extremely heart warming story on two childhood cancer survivors falling in love and getting married https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/07/fashion/weddings/love-not-lost-two-c…    
This study compared the outcome of low-dose rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT) and image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IG-IMRT) for localized prostate cancer of different severities. With/ without External Beam RadioTherapy.  Five year…
While this is not definitive and it is a small sample size, its still a strong indicator. Its also worrying that those who chose alternatives tended to be younger women with more education and more money  https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-…

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