By:- Team VOH
19 Feb 2024
4th Edition National Cancer Conclave - Uniting for closing the care gap supported by AstraZeneca. Navigating the Journey: Insights into Urological Cancers and Empowering Awareness”
10th February 2024, In the month of ‘National Cancer Prevention’, Voice Of Healthcare hosted the 4th Edition National Cancer Conclave - Uniting for Closing the Care Gap Supported by AstraZeneca.
With themes of insights and awareness, early diagnosis, different treatments for types and stages of cancer, and most importantly the patient's experience and the journey towards recovery from Endometrial Cancers.
National Cancer Conclave 2024 stresses Maximum Awareness, Timely Diagnosis, and Better Treatment Options Available, with the objective of access to the masses of India.
The topics that went under the discussion were…
● Empowering awareness, understanding, and preventing Urological Cancer
● Timely Diagnosis, Treatment Pathways for types of cancers
● Journey of bladder cancer patients to recovery
Dr. Raghunath SK, Director - Urologic oncology and Robotic Surgery, HCG Cancer Hospital, Bangalore was the guest speaker of the show and explained that there are five types of cancer arising from the urinary system they are Kidney Cancer, Bladder Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Testicular and Penile Cancer along with Adrenal Cancer and all these comes under Urological Cancer.
The discussion went on in-depth on Urinary Bladder Cancer, which arises from the urinary bladder. So, whatever the carcinogens (chemicals which cause cancers) we eat or drink or inhale, these chemicals get excreted out of our body through the kidneys and reach the urinary bladder, and these chemicals/ carcinogens exert their effect on the bladder to cause cancers. The common risk factors associated are Smoking, using Tobacco in any form, people exposed to carcinogens, and working in the Dye Industry, Leather Industry, and even the coal and tar industries. People using hair dyes, with or without ammonia, contain some carcinogens, and there is a slight risk of getting bladder cancer.
Dr. Raghunath also explained the symptoms of bladder cancer. These are, Blood in Urine that is generally intermittent. It comes and goes and then comes again after some time. So, patients think the problem is resolved and there is nothing to worry about, which must not be ignored. Burning pain while passing urine, recurring UTI, pain in the abdomen. When cancer spreads to other organs like lungs, bones, and liver, they can have loss of appetite, bone pain, and cough are some symptoms of advanced-stage cancer.
Bladder tumours can involve the ureters (tubes that drain the urine from the kidneys to the bladder) and cause kidney failure.
The session host Dr. Ruchika Gambhir went on to ask about what a patient's journey looks like after developing some symptoms like blood in urine, The doctor does some routine tests like, urine test, urine culture test, urine cytology test, ultrasound of the abdomen, cystoscopy- putting lens into bladder and once the cancer or tumour is diagnosed the treatments starts according to the stage of cancer diagnosed.
Dr. Raghunath mentioned the common type of bladder cancer which is urothelial cancer.
1st stage of this disease is Non-Muscle Invasive and 2nd stage is Muscle Invasive Cancer.
- Non-muscle-invasive cancer is stage 1 cancer when cancer has not spread to deeper layers.
- Stage 2 cancer is Muscle Invasive Cancer where cancer has spread to the muscular tissue of the bladder
- Stage 3 cancer is where cancer has gone outside the bladder to the third and fourth layer of the bladder or it can go to the lymph nodes.
- Stage 4 is when cancer has spread to distant organs like the liver, bone, or brain.
The treatment is entirely different for different stages of cancer.
Treatment pathways for Non-Muscle Invasive cancer (Stage 1) is only endoscopic resection of the tumor, and the risk of recurrence is low. So, the doctors only observe it through tests.
For High-Risk Tumors regular intravesical therapy (instilling medicines into the bladder) and observation through tests are required because it has a higher chance of recurrence of cancer.
Muscle-invasive bladder cancer is treated predominantly by surgery and at times chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, or a combination of the above may be required.
Surgery is to remove the bladder; The treatment depends upon how advanced is the cancer.
He also talked about Robotic surgery which can be done in the best possible manner as they sit and control the console where they have the complete 3D view and there will be no physical strain on the doctor and the performance will be better. When it comes to patient care blood loss is less, wound complications are less and patients' recovery journey is better.
Healthy Diet, exclude red meat from your diet, Exercise, avoid alcohol, Avoid Smoking, Avoid Hair Dyes, and most importantly get regular Master Health Checkups from the age 30 - 35 are a few of the preventive measures to avoid any complications in health shared by Dr. Raghunath.
To summarize the session
● Smoking, consuming alcohol, and using hair dyes are some of the risk factors for getting bladder cancer.
● Hematuria, pain while passing urine, and frequent UTI, pain in the abdomen are some of the early signs and symptoms of bladder cancer and get it checked by the doctor.
● There are two types of cancer Muscle - Invasive and Non - Muscle Invasive and there are different types of treatment according to the stages of cancer and risk associated with it.
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