Mumbai Oncocare Centre(MOC)

ER/PR positive Breast Cancer, heard before? It is worth reading and spreading a word about.

Breast Cancer is one of the rapidly growing and perhaps the cancer with the highest incidences in the Indian subcontinent. It has emerged as a socio-economic issue beyond its atrocious physical attributes. Due to the late-stage presentation or late diagnosis in over 60%-70% of women, the treatment outcomes are often compromised. However, with the recent advances in the way breast cancers are treated worldwide, we are able to achieve reasonably good results in patients who come to us with the affected breasts, with or without the involvement of secondary organs.

Diagnosis of Hormone Positive Breast Cancer is in fact a matter of encouragement for us, the cancer specialists, and more prominently for women who are suffering with it. This encouragement is due to the predictability of the relatively better treatment outcomes & the availability of non-chemotherapy treatment options for this subtype of disease. Hormone Positive Breast Cancer prevails to an extent of 70%-75% of the total breast cancers worldwide and India is no exception.

To understand what is hormone positive breast cancer, we need to understand the biology of female body. Female gender develops under the influence of female hormones called Estrogen and Progesterone. When cancer in the breasts develops or begin to grow under the influence of these hormones, it is called Hormone Positive Breast Cancer. Such cancers carry significant number of Estrogen and Progesterone receptors in the breast to develop an abnormality.

Hormone positivity is considered to be a low risk factor in breast cancer victims; therefore, oncologists can predict reasonably better treatment results in such patients. More importantly, after completion of a brief schedule of chemotherapy depending on the stage of a cancer, patients can continue to take what is popularly called as hormonal therapy tablets. Hormone therapy can be termed as a primitive form of precision medicine which specifically targets hormone receptors to control the development, redevelopment or progression of cancer for a significantly longer time, unlike chemotherapy that is non-specific in nature. It is indeed magical to see how a small tablet of hormonal treatment can control a dreadful disease with minimal or negligible side effects.

Very recently, scientists have discovered newer hormonal therapies with improved efficiency that potentially work wonders in cancers that are spread to other organs beyond breast. These are cheerful developments in hormone positive breast cancer management and I am sure patients will benefit a lot out of them.

Dr. Pradip Kendre, DNB, DM
Consultant Medical Oncologist
Mumbai Oncocare Centre, Borivali & Malad
9920767626 | 7506128787
www.mocindia.co.in

Mumbai Oncocare Centre(MOC)

Prostate is a male gland with a size and shape that of a walnut, situated below the urinary bladder and just in front of the rectum. Prostate gland plays an important role in the male body i.e. production of semen, a milky fluid that carries sperms from testicles through penis when a man ejaculate. Prostate surrounds the part of the tube called urethra that carries urine out of the bladder and through the penis.

Usually, prostate gland grows in size with the age and sometimes, it squeezes the urethra and can cause problems in passing urine. Some men can have these urinary symptoms as early as into their 30s or 40s and require immediate medical attention. For many men, such symptoms are only identified in much later age. Other than the age, 'Infection to Prostate' or 'Cancer of Prostate' can also cause inflammation or enlargement of Prostate.

Individuals with enlargement of prostate gland may experience following symptoms:
- Increased frequency of passing urine
- Sense of urgency of passing urine
- Urge to pass urine during night; also called as Nocturia
- Altered or less urine flow
- Burning sensation while passing urine
- Blood in the Urine or semen
- Painful ejaculation
- Pain in the back or waist bone
It is important to note that not all symptoms that signify abnormal prostate changes are cancer. However, they should be vigilant about these symptoms and they should report these to their doctor for further examination without any delay.

There are 3 most common problems related to prostate that an individual may experience as he grows older:
- Inflammation of Prostate (Prostatitis)- It is an inflammation of the prostate gland that may result from Bacterial infection. It is a common condition which affects over 50% men at least once in their lifetime. It is an absolutely treatable and curable condition.
- Enlarged Prostate (Benign Prostate Hyperplasia or BPH)- Hyperplasia signifies abnormal cell growth in the prostate gland however it is not a cancer. The symptoms of Benign Prostate Hyperplasia and Prostate Cancer are similar or common many a times.
- Prostate Cancer- It is typically the cancerous growth in the prostate gland which can be examined and proven on biopsy.
Prostate cancer is a slow growing cancer as compared to most other cancers. The cancerous changes in the cell begin 20-30 years before the tumor grows to a significant size to cause symptoms. Slowly, these cancer cells extend / grow beyond the prostate gland to nearby lymph nodes, bones and organs like Liver, Lungs etc. which can also be termed as metastasis. In India, over 20000 new patients are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year as per the estimates of Globocon and World health organization. Typical symptoms of prostate cancer are already mentioned above for the benefit of the readers.

Dr. Udip Maheshwari
Consultant Medical Oncologist
Mumbai Oncocare Centre, Ghatkopar & Sion
9769861787 | 7677434237
[email protected]
https://www.mocindia.co.in/

Mumbai Oncocare Centre(MOC)

Kaposi's Sarcoma, a rare form of skin cancer was found in few homosexual men in 1981 and introduced to the medical fraternity a newly identified medical condition called AIDS related Kaposi's Sarcoma. It went to an extent of being identified as an 'AIDS defining cancer'. Extensive research has gone into establishing a link between HIV & Cancer. Acquired Immno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a manifestation of a virus named Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus that enters into human body and damages the immune system. HIV can remain present in the body for a long time before it can cause significant damage to the immune system in human beings. The said damage to the immune system can be explained as lowering the count of CD4+ T cells that helps fight infection in the body. Till the time AIDS becomes clinically evident (begins showing symptoms), the person infected with HIV remains a carrier of HIV & this makes such carriers susceptible to catching infection by cancer causing viruses like Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpvirus or Human Papillomavirus.

For many years now, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and Cervical Cancer are also observed in people with HIV / AIDS and happened to be termed as AIDS defining cancers. It implies that when a person is diagnosed with one of these cancers, AIDS has likely developed. AIDS has been treated with combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) for over 2 decades and it has efficiently fought HIV and maintained the immune system of patients working fine against the risk of cancer-causing viruses and otherwise.

AIDS related Kaposi's Sacroma is predominantly a disease of the western society. In India, the incidences of Kaposi's Sarcoma are rare though the burden of AIDS in India is almost the second, next to sub-saharan Africa and Human Herpvirus- 8 which is a Kaposi's Sarcoma related virus is known to be prevalent here. On a contrary, Lung Cancer, Liver Cancer, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Anal Cancer & Head & Neck Cancer are some of the non-AIDS defining cancers and they are quite common in HIV-positive population. Risk factors for these cancers are smoking, chronic inflammation due to HIV and presence of other viruses like Epstein-Barr Virus, Hepatitis B & C etc.

Cancer screening has a pivotal role in improving outcomes in patients with HIV related cancers. It is recommended for example that those women identified to be HIV-positive should get the PAP smear test done every year to screen themselves for cervical cancer. After 3 consecutive normal PAP tests, the frequency of screening in such women can be reduced to every 3 years.

It is important that those diagnosed as HIV positive should take their combination anti-retroviral treatment without any disruption in order to reduce the risk of cancer-causing viruses & other infections. For those with such HIV related cancers, infection treating team of doctors and oncologists / cancer specialists work together in a multidisciplinary fashion to offer patients an optimal management plan to control both the diseases.

Dr. Vashishth Maniar, MD DM ECMO
Consultant Medical Oncologist / Cancer Specialist
Mumbai Oncocare Centre, Ghatkopar
9984899700 | 9769707204 | 022-21020017
[email protected]
https://www.mocindia.co.in/

Mumbai Oncocare Centre(MOC)

Cancer Care has metamorphosed to become a highly micro-specialized multidisciplinary affair that demands a competently coordinated efforts among Surgical Oncologists, Medical Oncologists, Radiation Oncologists, Radiologists, Pathologists along with Onco-Nutritionists, Genetic Counselors, Rehabilitation Experts and many other treatment support functions to offer cancer patient an optimum cancer care with highest standards. Each of these modalities of ever progressing cancer treatment has richly evolved to unimaginable advancements that patients need none but the specialist of a kind who understands a particular treatment modality in its deepest sense, content and the context. Multitasking Oncologist is a phenomenon of bygone era!

Medical management of cancer is the cornerstone of cancer treatment which can significantly improve the outcomes in cancer care if employed at the right time & in the right manner along with other modalities like surgery and radiotherapy. Moreover, proximity or an accessibility of a specialized facility dedicated for cancer care offers an unparallel comfort to cancer patients. All of this can only be achieved in the most efficient & most importantly in the cost-effective manner in a decentralized, differential or a customized, state-of-the-art delivery model, using the collective wisdom of the highly qualified and highly experienced team of healthcare practitioners; Medical Oncologists in this context.

"Hope Cancer Institute & Research Centre", a decade old, trusted name for cancer care in Nashik is adapting an innovative oncocare delivery model by joining hands with a cancer daycare major from Mumbai titled "Mumbai Oncocare Centre". Mumbai Oncocare Centre is an innovative, state-of-the art & perhaps the largest chain of Cancer Daycare Centers in Mumbai having all that is required for delivering medical interventions of highest standard in cancer care; available under one roof and in a cost-effective manner. The commitment to provide comprehensive cancer care is a shared vision and a common trait among two of us who are being unified for a cause.

Salient features of the conglomerate will be as follows:
- Collective wisdom of 9 highly qualified and richly experienced medical oncologists
- State-of-the-art oncology infrastructure best adapted to suit the economies of scale in India
- Best of the paramedical human resources trained to efficiently deliver cancer treatment
- Improving access to cancer treatment in Nashik and adjoining regions by creating a vividly notable option for patients
- Value added services in cancer care to make a comprehensive offering for cancer patients
I am confident that Hope-MOC will improve accessibility, affordability, proximity & flexibility without compromising quality of care for cancer patients as we begin our joint operations from 3rd January 2021.

Dr. Chandrashekhar Pethe
Sr. Consultant Medical Oncologist
Hope-Mumbai Oncocare Centre, Nashik
0253-2510127 | 9322949845
[email protected]
https://www.mocindia.co.in/