TOI: Pancreatic cancer: Now log on for info: July 30, 2008

Pancreatic cancer: Now log on for info

Mumbai: When Hollywood star Patrick Swayze, who shot to fame for his film Ghost, took ill early this year, a little-known disease called pancreatic cancer was splashed across the Western press. Thats the form of cancer, which doctors from super-speciality hospital Tata Memorial Hospital along with Gangaram Hospital in Delhi have set out to address after they noticed a rising incidence.

Tata Hospital chief Dr K Dinshaw on Tuesday inaugurated a website (www .pancreaticcancerindia.com), which promises to offer patients the lowdown about the condition. Though the cancer is less common here than in the West, we have noticed that the incidence has been steadily increasing with urbanization, said gastro-intestinal and hepato-bilary-pancreatic surgeon Shailesh Shrikhande.

While there are no known causes for pancreatic cancer, Dr Shrikhande explained that certain risk factors had been identified which included smoking, alcohol consumption, hereditary factors and a diet lacking fruits and vegetables. Pancreatic cancer, which is cancer of the pancreatic gland (a digestive gland), affects 0.5 to 2.4 per lakh men and 0.2 to 1.8 women per lakh in India and is the fourth largest killer among cancers in the US. Unfortunately, most local patients seek help too late, said doctors who hoped the website would help spread the much-needed awarenesss.

I have noticed that patients of pancreatic cancer go through a rollercoaster of emotionsanger, feelings of why me and isolation. We, as surgeons, often dont understand the difference between information and communication, admitted gastro-intestinal surgeon Adarsh Chaudhary from Delhi.

The website with its interactive interface, resources on latest treatment options and useful links hopes to bridge this gap. As dean of Tata, K L Mohandas, said there are many websites which give information on pancreatic cancer, but the website was the need of the hour as there was need for a desi resource that addressed problems unique to our continent.

Tata plans

Cancer hub Tata Memorial Hospital is all set to inaugurate a new building12-storeyed-highon its premises next year. Hospital chief K Dinshaw said, The new building will house facilities such as tele-medicine and research. Besides being able to reach out to more patients, the facility would also cater to budding cancer specialists.

An inspirational last lecture

If there was any doubt about the place of technology in the world of diseases, one just needs to Google Prof Randy Pausch. The professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh died of complications related to pancreatic cancer on July 25 but jumped to fame after he gave an inspirational last lecture to students at his university. The lecture delivered even as he was dying of pancreatic cancer urged students to achieve their childhood dreams. The speech was so inspirational that it was uploaded on You Tube and went on to be viewed by millions. He used his fame to even urge the US Congress to give money for research on pancreatic cancer.

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