FDA approves first use of novel immune system drug for cancer

Patients with advanced cancers often contemplate the time burden of their cancer care. What does this exactly entail? Dr Arjun Gupta, an Oncologist and Researcher, recently wrote a paper about Time Toxicity for Cancer patients. He helps us understand this new concept and how it can affect quality of life for patients. What is ‘’time toxicity’’? We have seen tremendous progress in oncology in the past few decades. Yet, for advanced solid cancers, average survival benefits offered by new…

This webinar is not just for Ovarian Cancer survivors but also for survivors of breast cancer, uterine cancer, colorectal cancer and all women at risk of Ovarian Cancer. Ovarian Cancer is a difficult to diagnose cancer. So it is very important for us to be aware of the surprising symptoms of Ovarian cancer. We must also know the factors that increase risk. Additionally, in COVID times, it is important to understand how to continue treatment and when you should vaccinate. We bring together a…

Renal cell carcinoma is the most common type of adult kidney cancer, making up about 85% of diagnoses. And yet it is rarely talked about.  Kidney Cancer is also an area which has seen significant progress in treatment options. Key takeaways from the webinar are given below.  An expert panel talked about kidney cancer and answered questions and concerns that patients have. The panelists are Dr. KL Jayakumar, MD Radiation Oncology. Professor and HOD, Sreemookambika Cancer center,…

PatientsEngage and EHA Consortium invite you to an interactive webinar series on Patient Centred Access to Quality Cancer Care. In the first of the series aligned to the UICC theme of "Close the Care Gap", we are very privileged to have an esteemed and diverse panel who will highlight the challenges faced in equitable access to quality cancer care and identify the areas where we still need to make progress. The panelists are Dr. CS Pramesh, Director Tata Memorial Hospital; Convener National…

Mark your calendars. Share with cancer survivors of cervical cancer, vulvar cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer and men after prostate cancer and penile cancer. They should all know about lower limb lymphedema, a significant survivorship issue   While there is some awareness on lymphedema after breast cancer, we found that the awareness on lower limb lymphedema was extremely low. Lower Limb Lymphedema affects women with gynaecological cancers like cervical cancer, vulvar…

Patients with advanced cancer often experience cachexia. This is extremely distressing to caregivers. Dr. Arjun Gupta, gastrointestinal oncologist and researcher addresses questions on this difficult topic. What is cachexia? People with cancer often experience weight loss, loss of muscle mass, and become weaker as the cancer progresses. Their quality of life decreases, and they may experience increased toxicity from cancer treatments. This collection of symptoms is called ‘’cachexia’’. It is…

Cancer patients and survivors can travel. However it is important to follow good travel practices. Dr. Shital Patel shares tips which include valuable contribution from Urvi Sabnis, Nandita Muralidhar and Mona Choudhuri, all cancer survivors. As a cancer patient, before you embark on any journey, make sure you acquire the consent of your treating doctor. Schedule it so that you do not miss out on any follow-up appointments or tests. Make sure you are feeling fit and healthy, start off with…

Melvin George, 30 shares his experience of getting a diagnosis of Astrocytoma, a brain tumour, navigating the care options, the side effects of the cancer and the treatment, how the experience affected him personally and how faith was the bedrock of his recovery. Plus work related challenges. Shocking Diagnosis July 11th 2017. I was on my bed in my dorm room and as I woke up, I saw the ceiling vibrating vigorously. I think that was my first episode of seizure but wasn’t sure what it was at that…

Prima shares the challenges of caring for her father who was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the ureter and kidney, the effect that COVID had on the treatment choices, the pain he went through, the palliative care choices and the emotional turmoil of it all. I vividily remember that afternoon when he implored, “Take me to the doctor, I’m uncomfortable. I’m in pain and want to sleep”. My husband gave him his morphine pill and told him we would go see his doctor soon. He kept saying, he wanted…

Navigating Care and Survivorship Issues of Sarcoma, A Rare and Forgotten Cancer Sarcoma is a rare and complex type of cancer that is often misdiagnosed or diagnosed late. It also requires a multi-disciplinary approach. There are also long term issues that survivors face. We speak with a distinguished panel of sarcoma experts and survivors who are trying to address the various diagnostic and survivorship challenges of this forgotten cancer Our panelists are Dr. Sameer Rastogi, Medical Oncologist…