The first post....

Contrary to popular perception, cancer is a common disease in developing countries. The incidence of cancer is lower. The populations are larger and the total number of cancer patients is more than the systems can cope up with. Cancer care is resource intensive. One of the most critical resource is trained manpower. Oncology remains underrepresented and obsolete in medical curricula in many parts of the world. The last few decades have seen an increase in the survival of cancer patients. This is not reflected in resource poor societies.

Cancer is a collection of more than 100 diseases. Some are curable even when disseminated, others are still incurable (see below; 5 year survival data for disseminated cancer the US SEER program 1988-2001). All cancers can not be measured by the same yardstick.

5 year survival of advanced cancer(Data from US SEER program 1998-2001)

The medical profession is nihilistic about cancer. Systemic therapy (chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy) has improved survival of cancer patients. Refinement of surgery has reduced the mutilating effects of cancer treatment. Radiation techniques have improved. Everybody knows about the side effect of cancer therapy. Few know about it's benefits and fewer know that chemotherapy, the most dreaded form of cancer therapy, is slowly giving way to targeted therapy.

The attitudes towards cancer need to change. The change must start from the medical community!