Medanta showcases advancements & high efficiency in fighting prostate cancer
Gurgaon/New Delhi: As life increasingly prolongs, men are inching towards higher probability of having prostate cancer.
As evidenced by Delhi NCR cancer registry, it has become the second most common cancer in men, next only to lung cancer.
Age being its major risk factor, Prostate cancer is still mainly a malignancy of elderly males but an ‘Update in Management of Carcinoma Prostate’ organised by Medanta- The Medicity has underlined that, of late, a disruptive trend has been noticed that even men of younger age are being diagnosed as having prostate carcinoma. And also, prostate cancer in younger men is more aggressive and therefore more life threatening than in older men.
Hard facts that emerged from this valuable update were: The disease is growing by 1% every year; one new case occurs every 2.5 minutes; one man dies from Prostate Cancer every 17 minutes and chances of having prostate cancer increases rapidly after the age of 50 years.
In the light of these daunting facts, the said updates in the leadership of Dr. N.P. Gupta, Chairman, Kidney and Urology Institute, Medanta- The Medicity, serve as a timely wake up call. Over 125 surgeons, physicians, urologists, radiation and medical oncologists from India and abroad participated in the conference, marking the beginning of World Prostate Disease Month i.e. September.
The update on September 9 went a long way in creating awareness about the latest techniques and treatments available for prostate cancer. The theme was to highlight the changing focus towards curative intent for localized as well as advanced and metastatic disease.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. N.P. Gupta said, ‘In India, Prostate Cancer is the second most common cancer in males. Lately, we have been witnessing that younger population is also being diagnosed with this disease. The advancements that have been made in the past decade have given us a chance to understand and help the patients of carcinoma prostate in a much better way.’
Dr. Gupta further said, ‘The different types of scientific tools and diagnostic methods will help us to provide a better care for our patients. We hope that the initiative will help in educating the doctors and guide them in their practices, in order to perform a safe surgery along with wholesome management and minimum complications.’
September is observed as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and camps are conducted worldwide to spread awareness. With increase in life expectancy, adoption of newer lifestyles and screening using prostate specific antigen (PSA), the incidence of prostate cancer is on the rise. As per records of cancer registries maintained in different towns in India, the newly diagnosed cases of cancer prostate are increasing by 1% every year.’
Fifty-one faculty doctors and 75 delegates actively participated in the Update, which focused on understanding the management of Prostate Cancer and improving patient care in a cost effective way. Various topics were discussed like the role of radical prostatectomy, role of chemo-hormonal therapy, and how to define Castration-resistant Prostrate Cancer (CRPC) amongst others.
Owing to better understanding of the disease and advances in treatment modalities, focus is changing from palliation to curative intent for localized, locally advanced and metastatic disease. This is achieved by multimodality treatment including surgery, radiation, hormonal treatment, chemotherapy and molecular targeted therapy.
