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Time of India
26-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
'MenCan' initiative for cancer awareness
Mumbai: There is an urgent need to spread awareness about "men's cancers," which have been steadily increasing in numbers in recent years, said doctors of Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) while setting up an initiative called 'MenCan' on Thursday. The initiative stems from the fact that many men refuse to discuss symptoms of these cancers - prostate, testicular, and penile - in the early stages. So, 60% to 70% of Indian patients reach out for medical help only in the advanced stages of their cancer. "TMC has special initiatives for women's cancers as well as paediatric cancers, but this would be the first time we will raise awareness about men's cancers," said director (Academics) Dr Sripad Banavali. The hospital gets 1,100 fresh cases of prostate cancer and about 250 to 300 cases each of testicular and penile cancers every year. Dr Gagan Prakash, chief of the uro-oncology division in the hospital, said that there are many misconceptions about men's cancer. "Men do not come forward about these cancers because they are afraid of how society will treat them. Due to this, the number of patients with all three cancers is increasing due to the hesitation of men in seeking medical help," he added. The reverse is true in the West. "In developed countries, the majority of the men with these cancers arrive in the early stages, and the survivorship is over 90% for, say, testicular cancer ," said Dr Amit Joshi, head of medical oncology at ACTREC - the Tata Memorial Centre's hospital in Kharghar - during the initiative's launch. The MenCan initiative will focus on creating awareness and raising funding for patients who can't afford treatment. It will have an arm for psycho-social counselling, including helping survivors with getting jobs. "Many of these cancer survivors have a long life after cancer. We want to ensure survivors rehabilitated," said ACTREC director Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Can music help treat cancer? TMC's new facility to study role
Mumbai: Music is known to improve people's mood and reduce stress levels, but does it have a role in cancer therapy? This is one of the questions that doctors at Tata Memorial Centre will try to scientifically answer once their new research facility in Khopoli, Raigad district, is established next year. The 100-bed hospital and research centre will test commonly held anti-cancer beliefs to ascertain if they have a scientific basis. "We will assess yoga's role in cancer as well as the effectiveness of ayurvedic medications, plant extracts, or seaweed in combating cancer," said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, director of Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research & Education in Cancer (ACTREC), TMC's centre in Kharghar. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai He said social media mentions many natural cures for cancers. "We will check if these social media posts are worthy or harmful for the people," said Dr Chaturvedi. Music, like yoga, has many anecdotal reviews of having a positive effect on patients. On Thursday, when singer Shaan inaugurated a MENCAN initiative focusing on male-only cancers at ACTREC, Dr Chaturvedi said music has a role in palliative care and the Khopoli centre would explore the connection in detail. "Work has already begun, and it is likely to be ready next year." Music has long been used as an add-on therapy. Sarod player Vivek Joshi, who calls himself a 'music healer', has performed for inmates of Thane Mental Hospital on multiple occasions. A year ago, Jaslok Hospital conducted a pilot study to assess whether performing music or dance, along with meditation, checked the progress of Parkinson's disease. A 2022 study of 102 cancer patients in Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, Ahmedabad, indicated that those undergoing pain and palliative care experienced "notable outcomes from music therapy sessions, including a significant decrease in anxiety and pain perception, along with enhancements in mood and motivation". An American study of 750 patients found music could be used as a tool for "distress reduction" during chemotherapy. Patients were randomly assigned to either music (listen to music for up to 60 minutes) or control (no music) conditions. "Patients who listened to self-selected music during infusion showed significant benefit in improved positive mood and reduced negative mood and distress (but not pain) from pre- to post-intervention," said the report published in 2023. "Music medicine is a low-touch, low-risk, and cost-effective way to manage patients' psychological well-being in the often stressful context of a cancer infusion clinic."
