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Doctors and cancer survivers at Max Institute of Cancer Care

Early diagnose remains key to tackle breast cancer: Doctors

Doctors have emphasised mass awareness drives to prevent breast cancer deaths across the country. They added that obesity and sedentary and late marriage are one of the risk factors of breast cancer.

They, however, pointed out that cancer is treatable but early detection and diagnosis remains to tackle the deadly lifestyle disease.

The doctors stressed the three have been major advances in the treatment of cancer.

Addressing the press at  Max Institute of Cancer Care, Lajpat Nagar, Delhi, Dr P K Julka, Principal Director, Medical Oncology, Max Institute of Cancer Care, Lajpat Nagar said, “Treatment for breast cancer patients has seen a paradigm shift from the initial times. In the late 70s, the entire infected breast was surgically removed. With advancements in cancer treatment, both surgical and medication was used for breast cancer patients.”

“Medications at that time used to arrive from countries abroad to now when the majority of drugs are being produced in India. This has significantly reduced the waiting time as well as cost of treatment. Owing to availability of better diagnostics pushed by greater awareness, we have started seeing breast cancer patients in early stages. These advances have significantly improved the chances of survivors,” Dr Julka added.

 Dr Harit Chaturvedi, Chairman, Max Institute of Cancer Care, said, “Early diagnosis of any disease, especially cancer, is the key to better treatment and faster recovery in patients. It also leaves doctors with a greater scope to treat the patient to become nearly completely disease-free. We are hopeful that in the near future, very small lesions may not require any surgical intervention. This will mean lesser disfiguration and minimum requirement for any cosmetic/plastic surgeries as well.”

Dr Devavrat Arya, Director, Medical Oncology, MICC, Lajpat Nagar, said, “Due to advancements in cancer treatment, patient’s quality of life has significantly improved. Hair loss post chemotherapy has one of biggest sore points in a patient’s journey towards recovery. But, with technologies such as Cool Cap, we will be able to significantly reduce loss of hair”.

The cancer survivors also shared their journey from treatment to recovery.

Talking about her journey of 27 years since she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995, 66-year-old  Mrs Sucheta Sachdev said, “I remember that I had an excruciating pain in my right breast back in the days which had become unbearable. I think I had ignored it for a while and by the time I reached the doctor, the diagnosis came as a shock for both me and my family. In those years, cancer meant definite death.”

She further added, “Being a working mother, I hardly had time to pay attention towards myself and now this entire procedure of months of treatment that included chemotherapy which meant hair fall, surgery that meant disfiguration and radiation which meant more side effects,”

“My family was my greatest support and I realized that for me the only option was to fight the disease head-on. It took a painful six months (please confirm timeline) and several rounds of chemotherapy before I scanned ‘disease-free’. I have been on regular follow ups with Dr Julka and was on medication for almost a decade. I am happy that I have been able to emotionally support patients of breast cancer over these last two decades through my journey,” Sachdev explained.

Another patient Kanta More shared her experience in the fight against breast cancer. More was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017. 

67-year-old More noticed a small lump in right breast and after detailed investigations she was diagnosed with triple negative Carcinoma in the right breast. She underwent surgery in the same year followed by chemotherapy. More is under regular follow up with Dr P K Julka.


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