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India Today
12-05-2025
- Health
- India Today
Beyond chemo: How a new approach to cancer recovery is changing lives
When Kamala, a 47-year-old woman from New Zealand, was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer, her hopes for recovery dimmed quickly. Kamala's case is one of only 17 known globally involving squamous cell carcinoma developing from mature cystic two surgeries failed to contain the aggressive tumour, her scans revealed metastases across the pelvic peritoneum, lymph nodes, and lungs. "There was nothing else left for me in New Zealand," she told when Kamala turned to an integrative approach to cancer care in India. At a private oncology centre in Gurugram, she underwent a mix of conventional and personalised therapies, including chemotherapy guided by genetic profiling, nutritional interventions, and the use of natural compounds like vitamin C and curcumin. Three months later, she was declared Kamala's story is extraordinary, it also brings up a growing question in the world of oncology: should more cancer patients consider integrative medicine as part of their recovery?WHAT IS INTEGRATIVE ONCOLOGY?Integrative oncology doesn't aim to replace conventional cancer treatment. Instead, it seeks to complement it by combining chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery with personalised nutrition, mind-body practices, and, in some centres, elements of traditional medicine such as ayurveda."We don't ask patients to skip chemotherapy or surgery. That remains the backbone of treatment," said Dr. Arpan Talwar, co-founder of Art of Healing Cancer. Integrative oncology doesn't aim to replace conventional cancer treatment. Instead, it seeks to complement it. () advertisement"But there are gaps that conventional medicine doesn't always address, like managing side effects, strengthening the immune system, or targeting mutations that don't yet have drugs. That's where integrative strategies come in," he to this approach is precision oncology, the idea that treatment should be guided by a patient's unique genetic profile."We customise everything, from chemotherapy drugs to diet, based on how the tumour's genes behave. If a tumour is feeding on protein, then a high-protein diet could do more harm than good," explained Roshika Tiwari, a Gurugram-based cancer genetic isn't just theory. European research in this area called Molecular Tumor Boards (MTBs) - a multidisciplinary panel that guides treatment decisions based on genetic findings - is gaining European Society for Medical Oncology, in a set of guidelines published in Annals of Oncology, advocates for MTBs in hospitals to personalise care, monitor outcomes, and support decisions on off-label or investigational DOES SCIENCE SAY?There is emerging evidence to support parts of integrative cancer care. Precision medicine, for instance, has shown success in improving treatment response in various cancers by targeting actionable to the US National Cancer Institute, more than 400 cancer-related genes can now be matched to targeted therapies, though hundreds more still lack drugs. More than 400 cancer-related genes can now be matched to targeted therapies, though hundreds more still lack drugs. () Nutrition, too, plays a measurable role in recovery. "Malnutrition and muscle loss are linked to poorer outcomes. We've seen patients complete chemotherapy with fewer interruptions when their diet is personalised and closely monitored," said Shikha Singh, a nutritionist at Fortis Memorial Research Institute's department of hemato-oncology and bone marrow recalled a breast cancer patient who regained weight, energy, and mental well-being through a high-protein, calorie-dense diet tailored to their body's needs, allowing them to finish treatment on experts also warned against falling for fads. "There are plenty of myths, like cutting out all sugar or going vegan to cure cancer. Diet should always be evidence-based and supervised," Dr. Singh CAUTIONDespite some remarkable case studies, integrative medicine in cancer remains a grey area in mainstream natural substances being used, curcumin, antioxidants, ayurvedic herbs, lack large-scale clinical trials to confirm their benefits or interactions with chemotherapy. advertisementHowever, according to experts, the problem is not the idea, it's the lack of regulation. Combining alternative therapies with conventional treatment requires proper doctors also raise concerns about commercial clinics promoting unproven combinations of herbal remedies and dietary changes as "cures."While genomic testing is becoming more accessible, it remains expensive and largely confined to urban centres in India, and "there's a long way to go before we can democratise precision oncology," Tiwari said.A NEED FOR INTEGRATION, NOT POLARISATIONGlobally, integrative oncology is gaining recognition, not as a replacement but as a companion. Major cancer centres in Europe and the US are experimenting with yoga therapy, nutritional genomics, and stress-reduction programs, especially for patients in advanced Mandeep Singh, founder of Art of Healing Cancer, believes that the future of cancer care should be interdisciplinary. While genomic testing is becoming more accessible, it remains expensive and largely confined to urban centres in India. () advertisement"We already use substances like turmeric or vitamin C. The question is: can we use them in precise doses, backed by genetic science, alongside conventional treatment? That's what we're trying to figure out," said Dr. Singh. The expert suggested the potential of supportive care approaches such as nutrition and mental health in improving quality of life during cancer treatment. But clear, evidence-based frameworks are still missing for wider WE TURN TO INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE?For patients like Kamala, integrative medicine was life-changing. For others, it may be supplementary, or even real question isn't whether integrative oncology works for everyone, it's whether we're ready to design cancer care around the individual, not just the includes allowing for experimentation, as long as it's rooted in more large-scale studies emerge, experts recommend caution, collaboration, and clarity.
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Shock as doctors discover staggering rise in type of cancer that can leave patients unable to control their bowels
Leading doctors are calling on the public to be aware of the symptoms of anal cancer, as new data reveals a sharp rise in cases among women—particularly in over 65s. Red flags include blood in bowel movements, pain, itching, small lumps around the anus and persistent, uncontrollable diarrhoea. These issues can also be caused by other, more common conditions like haemorrhoids or anal fissures—but persistent or unusual symptoms should always be checked by a medical professional, add experts. The warning comes after researchers analysed data from the US National Cancer Institute between 2017 and 2021, and found something surprising. Overall, cases increased by three per cent in women and 1.6 per cent in men over the study period. But white women aged 65 and over saw the most dramatic rise, with an annual increase of four per cent. If these trends continue, scientists warn that anal cancer cases among women over 65 could double in less than 17 years. The findings challenge long-held assumptions about who is most at risk, experts tracking the phenomenon say. Screening guidelines have typically focused on people with HIV, men who have sex with men, organ transplant recipients and women with a history of vulvar cancer. 'Rates of anal cancer are rising fastest among white and Hispanic women over 65—groups not traditionally considered high risk,' said lead author Dr Ashley Robinson, a second-year internal medicine resident at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. Human papillomavirus, known as HPV, causes 90 per cent of anal cancers. In the UK, approximately 1,600 people are diagnosed each year. While still considered rare, it makes up approximately one per cent of all gastrointestinal cancers. Although the reason for the increase is still unclear, the experts suggested it is likely because the HPV vaccination was not recommended to older women when they were younger, despite being widely available now and offered in schools. In the UK, the HPV jab was offered to all girls aged 12 to 13 in school year eight since September 2008, while eligibility was only expanded to boys in year eight from September 2019. The jab significantly reduces your chances of catching HPV, which is spread through skin to skin contact, usually during sex. The virus is normally harmless, but for reasons not fully understand can also trigger cancers, which alongside anal cancer also including those in the throat, penis, vagina and cervix. 'It's crucial that we promote HPV vaccination as a key tool for preventing anal cancer, while also keeping health care providers informed as screening guidelines evolve,' Dr Robinson said. 'These findings highlight specific patient groups who may benefit from targeted screening for anal HPV and anal cancer.' Currently, older women are not screened for anal cancer and the findings of the study concluded that this could be beneficial. It comes as the number of under-50s with bowel cancer in England is growing at one of the fastest rates in the world, a major study warns. While cases of early onset bowel cancer, defined as those aged 25 to 49, is increasing globally, England's rate of the disease is growing by an average of 3.6 per cent each year – one of the fastest rises. Experts believe poor diet, more ultra-processed foods, obesity and a lack of exercise could be responsible for the alarming trend. The study found bowel cancer rates in young people rose in 27 out of the 50 countries studied in the decade to 2017. Researchers from the American Cancer Society, who led the study, said the rise in early onset cancers is no longer limited to high-income Western countries but is now a 'global phenomenon'.
South China Morning Post
09-04-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
US decouples from China in war on cancer, denying access to research databanks
Thousands of Chinese scientists have been locked out of the world's largest cancer database in a new round of US science policies targeting China, while the Donald Trump administration pursues its economic trade wars. Advertisement Researchers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau attempting to log in to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, managed by the US National Cancer Institute, have been denied access since Friday. They have instead been greeted with a terse notification that 'access cannot be restored at this time'. SEER covers 48 per cent of the US population and provides nationwide data on cancer incidence, survival rates and treatments to support research and epidemiological investigations. It was previously open to researchers across the globe. However, access has been completely blocked to institutions in designated countries – which include Russia, Iran and North Korea as well as China – under a security update published last week by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US. Advertisement A researcher at Shanghai's prestigious Fudan University, who asked not to be identified, said the ban was 'a very serious scientific event'. 'Many graduate students' research topics rely on this data for preliminary exploration, and many projects require international data for validation. Therefore, the crucial piece of cancer data is missing, greatly diminishing its practicality.'
