The Fight Against Cancer -- Where are we?

"Not Beyond Us". The 2015 edition of the World Cancer Day gave us this encouraging and meaningful tagline. The events conducted on 4 February took a positive and proactive approach to the fight against cancer, highlighting that solutions do exist across the continuum of cancer, and that they are within our reach. The focus for the current year will revolve around the following 4 factors.

• Choosing healthy lives
• Delivering early detection
• Achieving treatment for all
• Maximizing quality of life

What is Cancer?

A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and can invade nearby tissues. Cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems. There are several main types of cancer, more than 100. Carcinoma is a cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs. Sarcoma is a cancer that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue. Leukemia is a cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue, such as the bone marrow, and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood. Lymphoma and multiple myeloma are cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system. Central nervous system cancers are cancers that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord. Also called malignancy.

Origins of Cancer

Our understanding of the origins of cancer has changed dramatically over the past three decades, due in large part to the revolution in molecular biology that has altered the face of all biomedical research. Powerful experimental tools have been thrust into the hands of cancer biologists. These tools, including newly devised and implemented technologies that permit the interrogation of entire genomes, have made it possible to uncover and dissect the complex molecular machinery operating inside the single cell, normal and malignant, to understand its operations, and to pinpoint the defects that cause cancer cells to proliferate abnormally.

All cancers begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life. To understand cancer, it's helpful to know what happens when normal cells become cancer cells. The body is made up of many types of cells. These cells grow and divide in a controlled way to produce more cells as they are needed to keep the body healthy. When cells become old or damaged, they die and are replaced with new cells.

However, sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. The genetic material (DNA) of a cell can become damaged or changed, producing mutations that affect normal cell growth and division. When this happens, cells do not die when they should and new cells form when the body does not need them. The extra cells may form a mass of tissue called a tumor.

Courtesy :- American National Cancer Institute

Not all tumors are cancerous; tumors can be benign or malignant.

• Benign tumors aren't cancerous. They can often be removed, and, in most cases, they do not come back. Cells in benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body.
• Malignant tumors are cancerous. Cells in these tumors can invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body. The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another is called metastasis.

Some cancers do not form tumors. For example, leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood.

Where are we today?

It is for sure a long road before each and every battle against Cancer can be won. But more and more progressive research is helping patients across world to have better chances of getting rid of this menace. The Charged Particle therapy is fast growing in terms of popularity. 

Standard radiation treatments, which have already been around for decades, send X-rays straight through the tumor and out the other side of the body, damaging healthy tissue both coming and going. But protons and ions—atoms stripped of electrons—slow when they hit the body and come to a stop, depositing most of their destructive energy at their stopping point. If you tune a beam of protons or ions so they stop inside a tumor, you can deliver the maximum dose of radiation while sparing healthy tissue and minimizing side effects. This makes it ideal for treating children, whose developing bodies are particularly sensitive to radiation damage, and for cancers very close to vital tissues such as the optic nerves or spinal cord.

India's Position

There are no charged-particles based Cancer treatment facilities in India. As per a Boston Consulting Group study, 70-80% of cancer patients are diagnosed late when treatment is less efficient and 60% of them do not have access to quality cancer treatment. Out of 300+ cancer centres in India, 40% are not adequately equipped with advanced cancer care equipment. This study further suggests India will need at least 600 additional cancer care centres to meet the requirements by 2020.

A report quotes Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi of Tata Memorial Hospital as saying that annually, nearly 5 lakh people die of cancer in India. As per WHO Report 2005, this number is only expected to rise to 7 lakh by 2015. Globocan 2008 report shows that in India, cancers of lung and mouth in men and cervix and breast in women are the biggest killers.

Ignorance among public, delayed diagnosis and lack of adequate medical facilities has given cancer the dubious distinction of being a ‘killer disease’. However, fact remains that if cancer is detected in its early stages, it can be treated and individual can lead a healthy life. 

Government has been urged to bring Cancer under the ambit of "notifiable diseases" so that more adequate and cheaper care can be afforded to all and sundry. Chemotherapy remains the most used Cancer treatment strategy in India. Some scientists, at Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), Kolkata, are trying to use Neem for the prevention of growth of tumor cell in mice. Let us hope this research can benefit humans in sometime to come.

Till then, keep spreading the awareness about Cancer.

Religion has no religion

Aamir Khan's PK could not have come at a more appropriate time. Religious Conversions, forced and voluntary, are the talk of the town in India. Many Ghara Waapasee programs are being organized in several parts of the country. There are critics and supporters alike for these events. Religion has once again become something that creates division rather than removing it. And Aamir tells us that he doesn't know how to select the most appropriate religion for himself. And I fully support him. Imagine yourself being an alien landing in India and discovering that you cannot get any thing done without belonging to a religion. PK brought forth this dilemma in very entertaining way.

I wonder whether religion created us or we created the religion. The concept of religion has gone all wrong. Yes, I am not any authority to define religions and none of you need to agree to that. Yet, I see a strong need to put forth my idea. When PK learns that GOD in different religion has different fashion, people following different religion have different fashion, some GOD drinks wine and some abhors it, women in some religions wear white on finding a husband and some wear it on losing the husband, and the list goes on. What a complex phenomenon. Is this really what religion means? Complexity, untouchability, non-tolerance, murder and hatred?

If you do a certain thing, why do you do that? Either you believe it to be useful for you or somebody or you believe it to be convenient and comfortable to do. You will seldom do something which does not qualify as above. So, if your religion promotes something untoward like murder, will you do it? Not until you really want to kill somebody. And if you have decided to pull the trigger, will you not do it because your religion does not allow that? So, my dear friends, it all boils down to interpretation, convenience and belief.

Managers of GOD!!! I liked that term very much and PK certainly makes a mark there. It it their interpretation that we often blindly follow and the result is prolonged oppression and failure of objective. They continue to make wrong phone calls to GOD and give us misleading directions. They enforce on us, in the name of the religion, what they see best for themselves. And we writhe in pain with the long-term consequences of these corrupted preachings.

Religion for me is a time-tested, cordial, natural pattern of life. If you are looking for day-to-day or futuristic solutions to real-life problems, most often than not your chosen religion should help you get it. You must make your own choice of following a religion. I see no point in deciding it for you at your birth. When you are a grown-up, your religion should also grow up if you think so. And, follow your religion without contradicting or demeaning any other religion.

In today's world, religion has turned out to be the most dangerous scourge crippling our planet. What is supposed to be the preserver and comforter of life in any form is fast turning into its deadliest enemy. Banish any single religion and absorb good things from all sources and then declare that to be your own religion. Hate and anger are the worst qualities of human character and your religion must not contribute towards propelling them.

Celebration of Life

Isn't it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate.

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will no t be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.