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Meerut, 8th September 2021: Even though the number of cancer cases are on the rise in the country, so is the recent advancements made in the field of oncology. In order to deliberate the need for timely access to the best treatment options and prevent the mortality rate due to various types of cancers, Max Hospital Patparganj, New Delhi organized an interactive session today.
Highlighting the treatment outcomes of 62-year-old patients from Meerut, Dr Meenu Walia emphasized on the importance of awareness and the need for timely diagnosis in improving the quality of life of cancer patients.
A 56-year-old female presented in August 2015 with complaints of cough from 3 months and headache from 15 days. Radiological investigations were suggestive of nodular mass lesion in left lung upper lobe and multiple brain lesions. Histopathology revealed the nature of the mass to be moderately differentiated Adenocarcinoma and luckily, she was precisely positive for a target, EGFR – Exon 19 mutant.
“The patient was diagnosed as a case of advanced (stage IV) Lung Cancer with metastasis to the Brain. She was started on oral targeted therapy upfront and within 3 months of treatment her scans showed significant improvement. Subsequent scans also suggested stable disease. Earlier the only modality availability for such advanced cases of lung cancer was chemotherapy and the median survival was around 6-8 months. With the advent of molecular profiling lot of targets have been identified in stage IV lung cancers and the treatment has shifted from generalised chemotherapy to more personalized targeted therapy and there has been significant improvement in the overall survival.” said Dr Meenu Walia, Senior Director – Medical Oncology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj.
Today, this patient is not only surviving over 6 years but also leading a good quality of life. Target therapy has brought a revolutionary change with better treatment outcomes and far less toxicities and hospital admissions.
Of all cancers, lung cancer is one of the most lethal cancers with the highest mortality rates recorded globally. Low awareness around its occurrence and delayed recognition of symptoms (often misunderstood as TB) often pushes this life-threatening and rather aggressive cancer to the brim in most patients.
“However, with the advancement in treatment and availability of newer treatments, lung cancer can be managed even at advanced stages and older age groups. It is always recommended to get yourself screened time-to-time to detect the disease early. Since early detection of such cancers can have favourable outcomes with respect to the advancements made in the field of oncology treatment, it is imperative to state that awareness plays a major role.” She added.
