Genomic tests indicate a promising future for early cancer diagnosis: Dr Raghavendra Babu,CYTECARE Hospitals – ET HealthWorld


Genomic tests indicate a promising future for early cancer diagnosis: Dr Raghavendra Babu,CYTECARE Hospitals
Shahid Akhter, editor, ETHealthworld, spoke to Dr Raghavendra Babu, Senior Consultant & Director, Gastrointestinal & HPB Oncology, CYTECARE Hospitals, to know more about the

Detection of Gastrointestinal cancer
Gastrointestinal cancer is a medical term that includes all cancers in the digestive tract organs, such as the stomach, large and small intestine, pancreas, colon, liver, rectum, anus, and biliary system. It accounts for 26 per cent of the global cancer incidence and 35 percent of all cancer-related deaths. In India, nearly 2 to 2.5 lakh gastrointestinal cancer cases are reported every year.

Gastrointestinal cancer is typically diagnosed using one or more of the following tools:

  • Endoscopy: Minimally invasive gastrointestinal endoscopy and colonoscopy procedures allow a doctor to see inside the digestive tract organs and detect certain types of cancer. With technological advances, such as narrow-band imaging, doctors today can identify the smallest abnormalities and detect cancers at an early stage. A biopsy is done to obtain a sample of the abnormal tissue and analyse it for the presence of cancer cells.

  • SpyGlass Cholangioscopy: An advanced technique for the visualization of the bile ducts, SpyGlass Cholangioscopy allows the doctor to see the patient’s biliary duct system and difficult-to-reach, small ducts in the pancreas. It is used to evaluate suspected benign and malignant conditions inside the biliary system, pancreas or liver.

  • Genomics: Although genomic tests are yet to be available for commercial use, they indicate a promising future for early cancer diagnosis. Through this highly enhanced technique, blood samples are analyzed to check the presence of cancer cells and genomic mutations.

Treatment of Gastrointestinal cancer:
The treatment options depend on the specific type gastrointestinal cancer. Surgery is a standard treatment, entailing the removal of all or part of the colon, stomach, gallbladder, and other affected digestive organs. Following are the other treatment options:

  • Neoadjuvant therapy: This is the treatment given as the first step to shrink a tumor, before the curative surgery is done. Neoadjuvant therapy may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy or immunotherapy. While it is used to treat esophagus cancers, rectal cancers and several types of gastrointestinal cancers, neoadjuvant therapy’s role in the effective treatment of advanced pancreatic and liver cancers – considered to be non-treatable in the past – has been truly promising.

  • Targeted therapy: A treatment that uses drugs to target specific genes and proteins that are involved in the growth and survival of cancer cells, targeted therapy is the future of cancer care. Today, more than 500 genetic mutations can be analyzed with a single test. Once the causative mutation in the body is identified, it can easily be targeted with the help of genomics and treated effectively.

  • Surgical therapy: Technology has revolutionized the surgical approach in oncological procedures. Even in cases of advanced tumours, minimally invasive or laparoscopic surgery as well as robotic surgery demonstrates positive results.

Cytecare : Making a difference
As India’s First Organ-site focused Oncology care private hospital, Cytecare Hospitals represents care at the cellular level. The distinctive approach to cancer treatment comprises a combination of organ site focus (specialized clinical expertise for each type), tumour board (multidisciplinary teams), patient-centricity and clinical research methodologies.Founded on the principle of ‘Fighting Cancer the Right Way’, Cytecare has the largest oncology team in the country, comprising 22 world-class cancer specialists, strongly guided by national and global protocols. The Bengaluru-based hospital is counted among the best cancer care centres in India for its highly specialized, modern diagnostic services as well as patient-centric treatment modalities.

In 2019, Cytecare was awarded the Prestigious, ESMO designated centres of Integrated Oncology & Palliative Care certification. Currently, only two medical centres in India (including Cytecare) have been granted this global accreditation.





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