PGI doctors develop new techniques for cancer treatment

 

By 121 News Reporter

Chandigarh 27^th October:- The incidence of both colorectal and anal cancers is increasing because of various dietary factors and early detection and diagnosis. The risk factors for higher incidence of colorectal cancers includes high fat and low fibre diet, dietary components rich in nitrosmines, obesity, alcohol and tobacco intake and higher consumption of red meat plus certain familial and hereditary diseases.  The higher risk of anal cancers is related to infections such as HIV, HPV, homosexuality and certain warts and condylomata. Various options of treatment used for these two cancers have led to improved survival as well as decreased morbidity. The management of anal cancer has undergone an interesting and tremendous transformation over the last three decades. Definitive chemoradiation is now the standard first-line treatment for anal carcinoma. Prof. Rakesh Kapoor from the Department of Radiotherapy, Regional Cancer Centre  in PGIMER, Chandigarh practiced an improved treatment technique for the sphincter preservation of anal cancers using image based high dose rate interstitial brachytherapy. Prof. Rakesh Kapoor along with his team of Physicists including Dr. O. Arun  Singh also did the actual dosimetry using thermoluminiscent chips in-vivo to actually measure the radiation dose received  in the tumour area thus to have controlled radiation delivery. In their results,which has been published in the American Brachytherapy Society Journal, they have shown a local control rate of almost 90% and a sphincter preservation rate of almost 80%. Even in the management of metastatic advanced patients of colorectal cancer, Prof. Rakesh Kapoor has published a data from their centre showing a median survival of about 18 months and a progression free survival of 28%. Thus concluding that we can consider metastatic colon cancer in the ambit of chronic disease in the present scenario by using various chemotherapeutic agents as well as other interventions done for metastatic disease.