Website on Pancreatic, Peri Ampullary Cancer launched...

Dr K A Dinshaw, Director, Tata Memorial Centre, launched Asia’s first comprehensive website on Pancreatic and Peri Ampullary Cancers in Mumbai. The new website www.pancreaticcancerindia.com aims at providing a comprehensive platform and building awareness on pancreatic cancer and periampullary tumors amongst patients, care givers and healthcare professionals. Dr. K M Mohandas, Dean and Chief of Digestive Diseases and Clinical Nutrition, Tata Memorial Centre was present on the occasion.

Pancreaticcancerindia.com is the brain child of pancreatic cancer specialists from the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai and Sir. Gangaram Hospital, New Delhi. These experts, Drs. Shailesh V. Shrikhande, Sudeep Gupta and Umesh Mahantshetty, from the Tata Memorial Hospital and Drs. Shyam Aggarwal and Adarsh Chaudhary, from Sir Gangaram Hospital are multidisciplinary specialists in Oncology and belong to different regions of India but share a keen common interest in research and management of pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Shailesh V. Shrikhande, Associate Professor and Consultant Surgeon, Gastrointestinal and Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Tata Memorial Hospital said, ““Pancreatic Cancer is ranked fifth in the cause of cancer related deaths in USA and is seen in increasing numbers at tertiary Cancer Centres in India. This website will provide a novel forum to patients and the pancreatic cancer medical community in India. This will enable pancreatologists, oncologists, general practitioners, radiologists, pathologists, palliative specialists, nurses, patients and families to interact freely with each other about their concerns. It will also provide them an up to date and locally relevant information on various aspects of pancreatic and peri- ampullary cancer.”

“The annual pancreatic cancer load of India is likely to increase in the near future because of the increase in older population. The situation calls for a need of multicentric studies, more systematic approach to document outcomes at all levels and identify potentially preventable risk factors associated with pancreatic cancer in India,” said Dr. Sudeep Gupta, Associate Professor and Medical Onciologist, Tata Memorial Hospital.

“There is a need for improving knowledge and awareness of this disease among healthcare professionals and general population. This website will bridge this void in our country. With the availability of advanced technology in India , our effort is to create awareness towards significantly improving the treatment outcomes,” said Dr. Umesh Mahantshetty, Associate Professor and Consultant Radiation Oncologist, Tata Memorial Hospital.

“The pattern of pancreatic cancer is different in our country. This is most likely the result of demographic structure of our population that is still predominately young. There is a lack of palliative and end-life-support to the patients which is very important in a fatal disease like this,” says Dr. Shyam Aggarwal, Hon. Senior Consultant and Chairman, Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Gangaram Hospital.

“Dr. Adarsh Chaudhary, Hon. Senior Consultant, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Sir Gangaram Hospital said, in India, there is lack of organized healthcare coverage for the majority of population. Even when such care is available in large cities, it is often beyond the means of most patients.”

The website has started its journey as an information and interaction resource. The information will include diagnosis, staging, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, palliative care, nursing issues, targeted therapies, clinical trials, translational and basic research. There will be sections dedicated to patient and professionals.

Sourced From : Imprimis Life PR Pvt Ltd