How to Prevent Cancer and Detect It Early | Padma Shree awardee Dr. P Vijay Anand Reddy

How to Prevent Cancer and Detect It Early | Padma Shree awardee Dr. P Vijay Anand Reddy

Author Name:Dr Samatha Tulla

Youtube Channel Url:https://www.youtube.com/@drsamathatulla

Youtube Video URL:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE_CfN7M80I



Transcript:
(00:00) One in every 10 person in the country is bound to develop cancer. >> The World Health Organization has released two global reports this year on World Cancer Day and the report is shocking. One in every 10 Indians will develop cancer during their lifetimes. >> In respect to the cast three family history, social economic status anybody is at risk of developing cancer.
(00:21) This is a bold statement I'm making but it is true. >> So what are these subtle signs or symptoms that they should never ignore? >> Persistent symptoms. Let's assume you have a cough but cough which persists more than 3 weeks should always investigate for sure any soreness in the mouth any ulcers in the tongue swallowing difficulty change in the voice constipation and diarrhea and then you have some >> when we talk about longevity stress management sleep nutrition exercise are very important but cancer prevention is also very important part of this very
(00:55) conversation because who recently has declared in India 1.4 million cases of cancer are diagnosed every year and out of them 40% are actually preventable cancers and that is the number we cannot ignore. What are the warning signs? When is the screening appropriate? What is the right test to do and getting the right treatment for the right diagnosis becomes very crucial.
(01:20) To answer these questions we have today with us Padmasri Dr. P. Vijanandra Digaru an imminent oncologist and also a medical director at Apollo Cancer Institute Hyderabad and also India's leading radiation oncologist with more than three decades of experience both in cancer treatment and also cancer research. Dr. P Vijanandra Digaru is awarded Padmashri this very year 2026 and also lifetime achievement awarded best of Asco India 2026.
(01:54) He had also received the clinical pioneer award from Apollo hospitals and multiple national and international recognitions for his contribution to radiation oncology and cancer research. In this conversation, we will look at cancer from the preventive lens angle. What it means to detect, screen and diagnose and how the life looks like after the cancer diagnosis.
(02:15) Whether you want to understand your own risk or support someone you love or you want to be better informed about your own health decisions then this conversation is for you. Very excited to have you here sir. Just before we started this conversation, we were thinking about how things are changing in your life as such at this decade and it's interesting to see after four decades of hard work there is very important recognition lately and which comes with lot of responsibility new responsibilities and at least some part of career I have seen your work and had
(02:49) the opportunity to even work with you for a very brief period though but now I realize oncology is very important part of longevity as So we'll talk about all that later but I'm I want to little deep dive into how your life has been before you thought you would become a doctor a little bit to just understand how seamlessly you have become a great doctor that you are today.
(03:14) >> That's a wonderful question. Basically during my school days I was more passionate about mathematics physics and I was first and first in the class. Um so I got 100 out of 100 in mathematics in the 10th class. That was a big reward and uh I just ran to my dad and said dad I got 100 out of 100.
(03:34) He threw a party in the town and he said announced that my son is not the person. But I was so disappointed when he told me that you're not going to be an engineer. You have to be a doctor. So I was thinking of becoming an engineer because I was so passionate about mathematics and physics. But he said you have to be a doctor.
(03:53) And we have we were four brothers and he said you are the brightest and I can only imagine that you should be a doctor. So those days we have no other choice but end of the day it's definitely a blessing that my father blessed me to be a doctor and it's really blessing for anyone who aspired to become a doctor. I always advise them be a doctor should have that passion and compassion to be a doctor then nothing like a professional like a being a doctor.
(04:18) So I'm very happy that I have become a doctor. I've seen that firsthand when it comes to my family or my friends or friends families who went through their cancer journey. You have been a great part of the support and we were blessed to have a compassionate doctor like you for sure and for a very brief period that I've observed you working.
(04:39) You neither took a break, you neither have a lunch break, you just made sure your uh whatever 2 minute or 5 minute that you get is what you get. I've seen you working so relentlessly from morning to evening. I don't know how you keep up with it. But how do you manage your health apart from the work that you do at the hospital? >> That's true.
(05:00) That's a very important question, but people talk about it. They always say that you're burning yourself out. But when you have the passion, when you have that interest, and when you think that you're not going for work, that makes a huge difference. when you get up in the morning or before you sleep one day prior always look forward for going to work next day morning.
(05:22) So that kind of a passion that I had and touchboard that continues to even today. I only pray God that I should have reasonably good health to do that. But balancing life other than that is equally important. I play golf. I play used to play tennis earlier. I keep physically fit and eat very less. So that's very important.
(05:46) You need to eat whatever you need. You don't need to eat more than what is really required. So I eat to live but I don't live to eat. That's what I've been doing it. So my passion is more towards my work and my patients. I remember one patient you know you know you know durashan program those days we used to have dial your doctor.
(06:06) M >> so one lady called me and from from which village I don't know which town and she said she said I didn't call you to ask you any question I only called you to just tell you that you are my bangaru pund you called me inside to see me and you welcome me with a smile I saw you with such freshness even at 8:00 p.m.
(06:34) That is only because you have that passion. You don't feel tired. My secretary says appointments are done sir. There are three more people who have come without appointments. I never refuse any patient. So they come with all the hope and you know they are already mentally physically drained out with the diagnosis of cancer.
(06:53) So even if they they come late in the evenings without appointment I still take care of them. Fortunately, um I should say that I'm blessed that I still continue to have that passion and I keep telling my associates also that you should have that passion. Don't think that you're going for work. You're enjoying it being with the patients.
(07:13) Smile and keep smile and every patient who walks in should walk out with a smile. That's my goal. And if you probably if you remember I have a big poster in my office, >> keep smiling. >> So that's the way I work and I still enjoy it. I also have seen childlike curio curiosity in you all the time. I think that is also one of the very important factors.
(07:34) And I've seen you with your family members, friends alike. You you become a child when you're with the family and when you're you when you meet people who are younger than you also. So that's one of the very inspiring things at least for me what I see in you. Um I I I remember there was a 34 year old female who walked in when I was sitting for internship with you.
(07:56) She she was a very young woman came with cancer and she was coming for a review review and she was so grateful for early diagnosis and the screening that she had. She went for a regular dental checkup and it turned out to be a squamosil caroma and she's senior and she was grateful though the diagnosis was very early in her life but the treatment on at right time was very important.
(08:24) So from that I started to think about how early diagnosis can actually prevent so many cancers. So I want to listen from you sir. I was opening up statistics. WH4 says 40% of the cancers today are preventable. Okay, they are preventable only when you identify it. Most of the things are not identified because there are no symptoms.
(08:44) So little we want to understand from you with your own experience how you have been looking at preventive oncology from your lens. So preventive oncology yes as you rightly said 40 45% in our country are preventable cancers and those preventable cancers we know that they are common cancers too. So basically the minimal lifestyle modifications that you can think of if you're conscious about it certainly these 45% of the cancers can be prevented.
(09:15) There are some people who say I did not harm anyone. I take only vegetarian diet and I pray God in the morning every day and why did I get cancer? So I always give this example. If you are a disciplined driver on the road, the chances of getting an accident is around 20%. Still although you're a disciplined driver, but if you're a rash driver, the chance of getting an accident is 80%.
(09:38) >> So let's be in that 80% frame that you be disciplined. simple discipline. I'm not asking you to be completely sadhu sanu but anything in moderation that you would like to have it or eat or dance or jump around. So be in moderation. So be a balanced diet, balanced life then certainly the most of the cancers that we see today are preventable.
(10:03) Coming to the screening part, certainly unfortunately compared to the western world and European world, our incidence of cancer is seen more in an younger age group. Maybe our body abuse, you know, lifestyle changes and more so in the cosmopolit. So when you say screening starts at the age of 40 in the western world, we always say should we should start at 30 in our country.
(10:32) Unfortunately, most of these cancers what we see are in an younger age group. The irony is if you have cancer in an early age group that is much virulent and aggressive compared to the same cancer happening at the age of 50 or 60 or 70. So it becomes even more important that all of us you know the prime age if somebody develops a cancer you know the thing that comes into their mind is I'm gone.
(10:58) So instead keep worrying about the diagnose of cancer. Get a routine screening. Always give another example. You own a bike, you own a car. You always send that vehicle for servicing without being having any problems in the vehicle. Isn't it? You're 2,000 km, 5,000 km, you send it for servicing. So why don't you your body also need servicing? Think that you're sending your body for servicing.
(11:25) You just get a routine screen of the body. 80 to 90% of the cancers can be detected in an early stage. The great advantage of having a diagnosed at an early stage is to treatment is simple. Cure chances are very high. 95 to 100% of them get cured. So both ways it helps. Early diagnosis, cure is certain. Treatments multiple treatments are not required.
(11:50) Simple treatment will be taken care. I remember when I was working in Ady cancer center, you heard about Miss Shantaa, Dr. Shantaa? >> Yes. Yes. >> She's a pioneer in oncology. She once said, "I'm not scared of cancer. I'm scared of late diagnos." >> So these days, every cancer is curable very much if they come in stage one and stage two.
(12:14) So that is the irony of the situation. So we should not be scared of the diagnose of cancer. If you have an early symptom or a suspicious symptom, you better get screened. Not every symptom leads to cancer diagnosis. So don't get worried. But by chance, if it is a cancer, you're diagnosing it in early stage and you get rid of it. >> Yeah.
(12:36) So lately, I've been seeing this young men and women in their 40s. So they come up with very interesting questions. Um because people are more aware now. They'll be like, "I'm not smoking. I'm not drinking alcohol. I sleep 8 hours per night. I only take alcohol once in a month and that too I make sure the alcohol percentage is only so much. I track my epigenetic age.
(12:58) I'm younger than my chronological age. So this is the scenario. Then they're like um there is a history of cancer in the family because I'm doing all this I'll be very immune to cancer. So then like any other doctor a conversation would be like okay genetics can have effect of 15 to 20% depending on what kind of cancer it is unless it's a childhood cancer but rest of the thing is all epigenetic.
(13:26) We always say it's the marriage of genetics epigenetics and environment. So it's whatever we are doing it's only prevent we're reducing the probability for sure. Again if they're not screening on time then there is no point. If they're screening for wrong biomarkers or wrong tests again there's no point though epigenetic age which is very fancy now will define how well or pace of aging but will never identify the gold standard diagnosis or screening tests that are evidence-based that are available today for cancer screening I think I want to get this
(13:57) point out to the people or audience who are listening today no don't get swayed by new tests that are available these are nice to do things nice to do tests but evidence-based tests will not go away. Those are meant to be there. Of course, the timing of the test matters. Now, we may have to That's why I was asking you before we started this podcast.
(14:17) So, why are we not changing our guidelines to start scanning for these uh cancers early in the age groups like in 30s. So, >> we have already recommended that uh you know as a group of oncologists in the country being a president of oncology societies, we have recommended that in our country the we should not follow the western screening protocols.
(14:37) we should have an early it's going to come. So and every cancer hospital every doctor whoever comes to them or the relatives attenders we always tell them to go for screening. Screening definitely matters a lot. Uh diagnose of cancer is multi is causations of cancer and multiffactorial. It's not just because you as I told you >> if you're a disciplined driver 80% chance that you won't develop cancer.
(15:03) That means to say you still have 20% chance of developing cancer. So there are other factors which can contribute. So this if you're a disciplined person then your immunity is better. Even if there are some carcinogens which are hitting you your body will fight against them the damage that has been done will be recovered.
(15:24) In that way it certainly helps but there are multiple other factors that you might still have a chance of developing cancer. So let's not too much think about whether I'm going to develop cancer or not. I will not be able to get cancer. No family members in the family has cancer. I will not get it. These kind of thoughts should never come into anybody in respect to the cast, creed, family history, social economic status.
(15:50) Anybody is at risk of developing cancer. This is a bold statement I'm making but it is true. One in every 10 person in the country across the globe is bound to develop cancer. Unfortunately, it is galloping. The incidence of cancer is growing. Every third house, some person or the other who develop is going to develop cancer in their lifetime.
(16:11) So, you're not completely protected by any kind of protection that you're planning to do. It helps you to postpone or reduce the chances, but it will not be 100% foolproof. That is very very clearly put. So from here let's give audience some of the symptoms that they should never ignore thinking I'm just 30 or 25 why should I even get a test or uh spend so much on a test.
(16:41) So what are these subtle signs or symptoms that they should never ignore? One is about the symptoms casually we call them as caution right from the oral cavity anal canal any soreness in the mouth any ulcers in the tongue swallowing difficulty change in the voice >> and then you know some kind of a pain in the upper abdomen acidity and they'll keep on postpone things >> constipation and diarrhea and then you have some discharge or bleeding from any spot or some lumps which are painless all these symptoms are not necessarily
(17:16) be cancerous lead to cancer >> but persistent symptoms let's assume you have a cough which normally have cough or infection or cold or anything but cough which persists more than 3 weeks should always investigate for sure a swallowing difficulty which is persisting for more than 3 weeks should definitely go and meet a doctor an ulcer which is in the mouth normally comes and goes but that ulcer is not healing within 3 weeks >> non-healing ulcers >> so all these symptoms. Painless lumps.
(17:46) Most of the people ignore lumps because they are painless. Cancer starts with painless only. Pain becomes imminent only if it becomes advanced stage. So painless lumps do not ignore anywhere in the body. If you have a lump which is painless, we should always meet it off investigate. >> So these investigations are very simple.
(18:09) When you have a smaller issues, when you diagnose by any chance, 5% chances that you might diagnose that it is cancer, you are getting rid of it by a simple treatment. >> So do not ignore the symptoms. Persistence is a key. If the symptom is persistent for more than 3 weeks, you should certainly see a doctor.
(18:27) >> This is very very important. people always overlook and dismiss or they don't prioritize ignore it to an extent that the delayed diagnosis will in fact end up with difficult treatments painful treatments that is very true and now coming back to longevity this is where I'm more interested in so in the last um five years the hallmarks of aging that have been developing out of 14 of them five hallmarks are similar to hallmarks of cancer So that is where people started talking about cancer which is very synonymous
(19:03) with aging. So that is where five things are most common as you were saying why gut symptoms should never be ignored. So gut microbiome dispiosis is common between both aging and cancer. Same like how um this um mistakes that the body makes and ends up making unnecessary cells aged cells which are not cleared which is cellular sinosence is common in both aging also cancer also and also epigenetic alterations common for aging and cancer.
(19:33) With this commonalities that have come up between aging and cancer lately, we have been talking about something called longevity medicine where we try and delay the processes that are causing us to age faster. Like we should we could celebrate our birthdays every year and think I'm turning 39 next year. But internally we are not making any effort in terms of nutrition or fasting or exercise as you were saying and we are not focusing on any of it.
(20:01) and internally your pace of aging might be 45 or 46 and not 39 that I'm going to celebrate next year. So in the quest of chasing pace of aging, people have forgotten to do the evidence-based diagnostics. So this is where we want to focus on um keeping the fancy tests aside today I want as an oncologist who has been seeing patients three four decades now what are the musttodo uh screening tests especially for men and women who are in the age of 30 or 40.
(20:33) This is the common question I get. So who better than you to answer that? >> So we have regular screening programs at our hospital. uh we call them as which cancer check for women and cancer check for men. >> So from head to toe we don't do the rarest of the cancer screenings which are common cancers that need to be screened as per the age.
(20:54) So anybody who age of 35 we start doing with the mamogram and visceral organs are the main problems. Visceral organs abdomen is a cavity. So the symptoms take lot of time to develop before the diagnos of cancer happen. So we do an ultrasound of this ultrasound of the abdomen and the most other common cancer is cervical cancer. So we do a smear pap smear.
(21:14) These are the three main things that a woman requires besides a chest x-ray and a blood parameters >> to see any abnormal cells in the blood. So these are the simple test which you come in the morning on fasting and you go by 11:00 back home. So and then you get the result by afternoon you can consult the doctor and go off.
(21:32) Similarly for men same test without a papsmear we do an X-ray test abdomen and certain blood parameters like for a cancer of the colon we do serum CA for a prostate cancer patient above the age of 40 we do PSA and HBS antigen which is a common cause for developing liver cancer by accidental infection they might get it so we do we do a blood test to do this these are the simplest easiest plus the clinical examination by a doctor oral cavity exam examination, breast examination, abdominal examination by a clinician. So this this ends up in this
(22:08) regular screening. Besides that, if the patient has got any particular symptom, for example, endoscopy and colonoscopy the patient we get an acidity things like that they put an ant acid things such kind of patients invariably we do an simple endoscopy to understand if there are any ulcers in the gut.
(22:28) So the simplest test and the patient has a diarrhea or a constipation which they most of the people ignore it. Colonoscopy scopy which clearly clearly tells you we don't need a PET CD scan for all these screening procedures. >> So based on the symptoms the patient has we keep on asking them tell me if you have any symptoms.
(22:49) So any mild symptoms which prompt us to investigate further beyond the routine screening test. Now let's move little ahead of routine screening where people said I've done the entire masterile checkup the cancer screening just last week or last month now I'm diagnosed with something how is it possible so people don't suddenly see a tree on their way home it has been there people just didn't notice so noticing is like diagnosis but the biology or the body has been changing over the years where there are no symptoms so this is an era where we're
(23:21) talking about the the cancer answer has not already taken shape but it is in the process of happening. How do we know that is happening? So these are the new questions that we have been hearing from people. Okay, you have done the regular tests all these evidence-based tests that you have mentioned.
(23:37) Now they're like what else can I do? >> Yeah, that's a good question of late been hearing about liquid biopsies, blood tests, all kind of screening tests by we can detect the cancer cells earlier by just doing a blood test. As of now, there's a lot of research going on that and it's only not validated yet. You might find some cancer cells in the body, but that does not mean that the body is going to develop cancer.
(24:05) So your body immunity is going to fight against them and they're going to nullify those cancer cells which are wandering in the blood cells. So by detecting few cancer cells in the body, it will only create anxiety, anxiousness in the patient's mind. So personally as a you know in the field of oncology for more than three decades I do not advise them to go for these kind of tests.
(24:29) Simple screening tests which are validated as I just mentioned are the best way to go. The CTDNA circulating tumor cells in the body still evolving not established yet and every cell that you detect in the body does not mean that you're going to develop cancer. Similarly on the same lines the genetic testing is a common thing that people would ask shall I do this shall I do that normally you are not supposed to it's not necessary that you go for a routine genetic testing unless you have a family history family history which are really close family
(25:04) your sister or mother or father has some cancer then you can look at it you can certainly meet the doctor and ask for shall I need a screening test shall I need a genetic test. Not every cancer has a genetic background. Few cancers certainly especially you know that's a breast cancer is a very common history with the family and colonic cancers retinoplastoma.
(25:28) So there are certain cancers which have a definite genetic background. Such kind of patients certainly we would ourselves would advise them to go for genetic testing and more importantly suppose if a patient who is healthy who's found to have certain mutations which are detected on a routine screening that does not mean that the patient would develop cancer at any cost.
(25:49) It only means that they are at a higher risk compared to a normal population. So they need to be more vigilant. they need to get for a regular screening more often than the regular population. So most of the times what happens we have seen in patients when they do these tests and they detect abnormalities in the genetics they get panicked they don't lead a normal life at all they keep on searching their body all the time they don't get a proper sleep so it is not advisable to do a routine uh genetic testing >> that is very true when we uh though this
(26:28) um tests are very consumerdriven it comes to behavior and psychology of an individual, how are they going to utilize the insights from a test? That's why sometimes we are very against with people who are using variables for tracking their sleep data etc. and for individuals who actually do not have a family history.
(26:47) But if patients are coming from very aware, they're very health aware and trying to take it in a constructive way then that's a different thing. But since they're very consumerdriven, people do their tests at their own capacities and come back with the results very with lot of anxiety. Again, they miss a point there that for them to develop a cancer as such, there are a lot of multivariant factors there.
(27:11) Environment also plays a role to little extent. All the triggers should stack up to produce a disease or make cancer happen. So either some people are over vigilant some people are undercautious. So it's yeah I think there should be a balance right testing right time is very appropriate and evidence-based validated testing also is appropriate and for things which are developing like CTDNA circulating tumor cells.
(27:42) Last time when a patient called up and said I want to get this test do you have this test at your center? I was like I spoke to a couple of oncologists. If I have a client and I get the test done, if the test comes out positive, what are you going to do? So this was an open conversation I had with a with younger group of oncologists as well to understand their own perspective.
(28:02) They're like we wait for hisystopathological diagnosis. So so we like okay it's not about what is circulating it should make the growth >> possible >> possible. So that means in our body we have tumor suppressor genes. Body is capable of clearing of mistakes from the body whatever we are accumulating over time.
(28:24) So that is how capable we should make our body to be more resilient more capable and ability ability to recover even if in case that grows into a tumor. So that is what we are trying to do. Now when we talk about nutrition, lifestyle, exercise, what are the common questions you get in your clinic so that we can talk a little bit about it? >> Yeah, most of the times they ask about the diet number one.
(28:49) Number two, some foolish advice they ask is do you have any pill that can prevent cancer? So sorry to use that word foolish but it is actually there's nothing like a pill. there's so much commercialization of you know products they say if you take this fruit if you take that >> tablet then you will not develop cancer and things like that >> so anything in moderation is fine in life I'm not saying you know only one thing which I always say no is tobacco tobacco in any form is dangerous it is a proven carcinogen and dangerously
(29:22) carcinogenic and you're bound to develop cancer if you use tobacco in any form very very few people will get away even after using that but majority of them 80 to 90% of them are born together. So smoking alcohol is occasionally social alcohol is absolutely nothing wrong and you should not abuse alcohol again that will lead to liver cerosis and possibly cancer.
(29:49) But if you are in al if you're taking alcohol if you take smoking then the chance of developing cancer will be double >> will be double. So you should never smoke if you are taking alcohol. >> When people think about vegetarian, they think about what they're not eating versus what they should be eating. So they think Piza is a vegetarian, this margarita, uh chapati and dal is a vegetarian.
(30:11) But what they are missing out as we are saying colorful vegetables and colorful fruits which add up to the micronutrients. So people end up eating rest of the vegetarian meals without this colorful fruits and vegetables. So that is where we are talking about plant-based nutrition. There could be some meat addition in moderation but people never do that in moderation.
(30:31) They do it alone, red meat alone with large quantities of carbohydrates like rice without any add-on vegetables. So that is where people are getting it wrong by missing the balance. I think that's >> so again while eating people say I'm still not feeling full. I feel empty. How can you tell me sir eat only one roi? So you can eat plenty of salat once you get used to using salat then you will love it you that fills up your tummy that's a good fiber diet that protects your gut that protects from colonic cancer rectal cancer all these G
(31:04) cancers incre incidence has increased because of this >> that is truly said sir because we always collect lifestyle information when the member onboards with us so the some of the questions that we ask around nutrition are again hydration how many glasses do you drink per Okay, how many colorful vegetables, fruits do you consume in a week? More than 60% of the people say I eat vegetables maybe twice in a week or thrice in a week.
(31:30) So that's where I think lack of fiber is creating lot of uh imbalance in the gut as well. People go end up doing gut microbiome test more today than ever before because of the gut related changes that they started noticing and hence world found the opportunity to study about the guts >> microbes >> microbes. So now coming back to your radiation as a radiation oncologist you have been through all kinds of interventions for your patients in the recent decade what has been the more precise radiation therapies that you have been seeing if
(32:05) people want to know one or two about it what is that you want to talk about >> the whole fun of radiation is to you know radiation can kill any cancer at any stage >> but unfortunately you cannot take out the tumor from there and out your body and give radiation. >> So you have to do radiation when the tumor is within the body.
(32:24) >> So the balance or what you call it as a therapeutic balance that means without causing damage to the normal structures you have to deliver the tumored dose to kill the tumor. That is a whole fun of radiation therapy. The technology is evolving right from 30 years back we used to see a lot of scarring, pigmentation, severe side effects, patients discontinuing the treatment.
(32:47) Those things you're not seeing these days because of the technology that we developed over a period of time. Now high precision radiation that's certainly reduces the side effects which we used to see in the past. That's number one. Number two, most boring part of radiation is that patient has to come for 6 weeks 7 weeks of radiation.
(33:06) That has changed in the past because we are able to give more precise treatment only confined to the target. If the target is smaller, we are able to deliver the entire 6 weeks radiation in 2 to 3 days time. That is the best part of it without patients having any kind of side effects and having a higher tumoral effect.
(33:28) That means eradication of the tumor is possible which we call it as an ablative dose of radiation. So that is the best thing that has happened in the past. Besides that, a patient has got a stage four disease >> but he has only three or four lesions here and there. All these three or four lesions can be ablated by radiation technique.
(33:48) So that is the best part of radiation which is really gratifying to see that we are able to control the tumors by doing this highdose radiation anywhere in the body including the brain. A patient develops a lesion in the brain which is spread from the breast cancer to the brain. We are able to treat in one single day. >> Patient will walk out without even knowing that the treatment is done.
(34:09) People come from abroad. They they come here for a week. We treat the entire breast radiation in 5 days >> which we published. It is scientifically available now. So that kind of a technology change revolution has happened and that is certainly much much gratifying compared to what we have seen in the past.
(34:29) Besides that there are so many innovations in the surgery also. Earlier huge laparottoies now we got robotic surgeries, bloodless surgeries. Earlier we used to call the patients ask them to reserve five to six bottles of blood. These days we don't even ask for that. So because robotic surgery can see the smallest bleeding vessel and we can tie them up and the patient recover happens in a day.
(34:50) Patient walk out of the theater or the discharge happens in a day or two. Similarly, medical and you know radiation rad medical oncology there's enormous difference. Earlier chemotherapy drugs used to work on the normal cells as well as the tumor cells. Now we look at the molecular stages of the tumors. We look at the targets.
(35:10) We look at the nature of the tumor specifically precisely for that particular patient. For particular cancer we have different types of targets. So it's just no more saying it's a cancer of the breast. We look at multiple angles, multiple targets within that breast cancer and we use targeted therapy and imunotherapies.
(35:30) In that way the cure rates have gone up. Side effects have significantly come down. So across all stages of the cancer we are able to treat and cure 70% of them. And in stage three stage four earlier we never used to say we'll be able to control the disease for longer period. These days because of imunotherapy and targeted therapy we are able to prolong life for years together and without any effect on the quality of life.
(35:57) >> That is very well precisely put answer to the question. I have seen I had opportunity to meet some of your cancer survivors in the events that you conduct and uh you honor them. That's a very sweet moment both for you and the patient as well who has been working with you. after completing cancer treatment what kind of journey personally do you have with your patient and uh how things change for them.
(36:26) >> See every day in my hospital you know you lose some you win some majority of the times we win fortunately. So people who come to see me right from you know people who have been treated 30 years back they still want to come and say hello to me. They just want to touch you.
(36:46) They just want to try try to touch our feet. They want to hug. They want to take a pictures. You can't see that joy, that happiness in their you know the minute they open the door they come out with such an immense joy to meet their doctor is amazing. So that kind of a love and affection that you can never get it anywhere in spite of making millions and millions of rupees that you do in your lifetime.
(37:09) So that is really really gratifying. I'll share you one incident. I was traveling uh two decades back to Vijayada and my car was stuck in a traffic. It was an ambassador oldtime car and suddenly a woman walks out of her house. The steps were just touching the road. She said namaste. I said namaste.
(37:31) Then she said just please sir traffic loner just come in into my house. I'm in the car I can't come sir sir please I beg you please come in. So I just went walked into the house and it's only one hall and I saw on the right side there were frames of gods. Beside that there was a photograph of mine. So what more you what more you want in life.
(37:54) So they treat you as a god. They think that I have given them a second life. Every patient who is being cured of the disease they they show that kind of a uh gratitude in their eyes in their language in their body in what they speak to you. So that is what is very very gratifying. That is what gives you the kick and happiness that you can ever get in any part of your life.
(38:17) So the survivors you know normally do not want to show up their stories with people around. But my patients with the faith that they have when I asked them >> they said sir we are ready to offer our stories. Earlier I was thinking when a patient comes to you and when you talk to them and say that you're going to be out I'm sure I'm promising you can see that fear in their body language I know what I'm going through I may not get cured what will happen to my children all kinds of thoughts that come into their mind but if it comes from a
(38:52) patient who has been treated already and leading a normal life it makes a huge sense >> that I noticed and then started a club called freedom from cancer club where I used to have volunteers who have been treated and cured. We used to call them whenever a patient of breast cancer comes, a breast cancer survivor comes and sits with them and counsel them and tell them that this is what it is and I'm absolutely normal.
(39:15) So, but that was a you know an exercise what we used to do for every cancer. Then I got a thought why don't we do compile these stories into one >> and share that stories to a person who is newly diagnosed of cancer. So I'm so happy that we got up with this book. Many of my patients in 6 months time 200 patients offered their stories.
(39:36) What happened on the day when they were diagnosed of cancer? What happened on the day when they met me with their experience that they shared with and how the journey of treatment see chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery whatever they had been through and how they recovered from them. How was the family support? How was the doctor's support and how are they leading their life now? So if that entire story of a patient is comes out in a you know written form with a footnotes my experience with that particular patient
(40:07) and with an advice to the society that this particular cancer how you can diagnose it early and how can you can deal with it. So all this footnote is written with every story. So that is compiled into a story and my Arnesh Napolo wanted it to be apicious number of 108. So we made it 108 stories out of 200 selected them from head to toe brain cancer oral cancers breast cancer you find it every cancer there all patients who are survived and leading a normal life.
(40:40) So any patient who's diagnosed of cancer if they get this book it's called I am a survivor. cancer. So Hindi, Telugu and English have translated everything in three languages and that's available everywhere in every bookstore and in Amazon and they get that power wisdom to fight to cancer. That's the best part of it. I'm so happy that I bought this book and it's one of its kind in the world.
(41:09) If you Google it, you don't find you find one or two stories here and there but compiled 108 stories of different cancers survivors. That's a wonderful book that I think I really cherish that moment that I released that book and I still cherish that moments. >> Thank you sir. I also had the opportunity to read a few stories from the book.
(41:30) Um this is one of my favorite questions to every guest on the podcast. In the last decade, the the healthcare and medicine has been evolving at a pace where it has it has multiplied in the last decade both science as well, interventions as well, overall uh the trans transition in healthcare as well.
(41:53) How do you foresee the future in the next three decades? Where is the medicine going to be and what is that message you want to pass on to the next generation of doctors? That's a good question of other actually put it in another way is when you have this virtual reality augmented reality uh artificial intelligence where are we stand where do your doctors stand together today so human touch is always human touch all this artificial intelligence also is created by humans only >> we need to have both today somebody asked that artificial intelligence can
(42:30) it replace doctors definitely Not doctors will be there will continue to be there and be there for part of the uh care of any patient in any specialtity >> but at the same moment we should understand that whatever is coming new which is helping you is a complimentary to your efficiency.
(42:55) So a doctor who is refusing to accept the fact >> will be no more. So he has to gel with the new technology that is coming up. He has to adopt himself and take whatever help that artificial intelligence or the new things which are coming up. For example, you said CTDNA as of now it is not validated and days ahead everything is going to be genetically diagnosed, genetically monitored, genetically treated.
(43:25) As I said today breast cancer is not one breast cancer alone. It has multiple heads, multiple targets. Each patient of stage one breast cancer is treated differently purely based on the molecular genetics. Every cancer today we never treated based on the colonic cancer breast cancer. We do the molecular testing for sure and based on the molecular testing we are doing a personalized precision treatment. So that is not too far.
(43:53) we are already there and days ahead it's going to be more precise more DNA based RNA based molecular based treatment so things are going to be better and better but at the same time we should do whatever we need to do that to have a balanced life everything again I say everything in moderation is fine don't abuse your body >> thank you sir that's such a wonderful message both to physicians as well who are listening to the video today and otherwise and thank you so much and I I think me myself and everybody who is
(44:31) watching this video will enjoy the conversation and thank you so much for coming. Thank you.