Blood cancer: Growing health burden for India

It isn’t surprising that hundreds of families lose their loved ones to chronic and acute diseases every year. With our ever so growing population, which is only second to China, we are facing severe health burdens. One such burden is blood cancer.

According to the World Health Organization, it is the third most common form of cancer in our country. Approximately nine lakh cases are registered each year. Another interesting fact is that India has merely 0.98 oncologists per million population. One can only imagine the rising mortality in this healthcare area due to the scarcity of blood cancer doctors. Before proceeding, let us first get a basic understanding of blood cancer.

Blood cancer, also known as hematologic cancer, is a type of cancer that begins in the bone marrow, where blood cells start growing abnormally and affect the immune system making the body weak and defenseless. There are majorly three categories of blood cancer, namely, Lymphoma, Leukemia, and Multiple myeloma.

Lymphoma

People with a weak immune system become more prone to the development of lymphomas in the lymphatic system. Lymphomas are formed in the white blood cells. In India, lymphoma cases consist of sixty-four percent of all blood cancer cases.

Multiple Myeloma

It is found in plasma cells and affects the body’s production of antibodies. Like all kinds of cancer, this also makes the immune system weak and susceptible to infection. Basically, the plasma cells become cancerous. About eleven percent of blood cancer cases come into this category. 

Leukemia

This type of blood cancer is found in the bone marrow, where the production of abnormal white blood cells increases. This impairs the bone marrow’s ability to produce Red Blood Cells (RBCs) in the system, and the body’s infection-fighting power decreases. Twenty-five percent of blood cancer cases are Leukemia cases.

Dwindling health of anybody near and dear to you needs to be observed and not taken lightly. While there are no definite causes of cancer, it is speculated that this occurs due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The common symptoms of blood cancer include:

• Frequent fevers and chills
• Nose bleeds
• Sudden loss of weight without making any efforts
• Extreme fatigue
• Susceptible to bruises and easy bleeding
• Heavy menstruation in women
• Night sweats
• Bone aches or tenderness
• Swelling of lymph nodes

Every patient is different and has to be treated according to his symptoms and diagnosis. However, we can list down some common treatments used:

• Chemotherapy: This involves the use of anti-cancer drugs to destroy cancer cells and stop them from multiplying. It works better when applied during the early stages of cancer.
• Immunotherapy: It is the use of drugs to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer.
• Radiation Therapy: This uses radioactive waves to control or kill malignant cancer cells and is mostly accompanied by surgery in the treatment
• Bone Marrow Transplant: This is a medical procedure wherein the stem cells are transplanted to replace the damaged bone marrow, which leads to the production of new blood cells and promotes the growth of new marrow in the patient.
• Targeted Drug Therapy: This involves the usage of drugs to target particular genes, proteins, and the tissue environment that aid in the growth of cancer cells.

The blood cancer survival rate in India is higher than it was before because of the onset of new and evolving treatments. It also depends heavily on early detection in the entire process. The success rates vary anywhere between 60-90%.

Better and balanced diets, regular exercising, frequent medical check-ups, and zero or least consumption of alcohol and tobacco should keep you out of the clutches of this fearful disease.

The inadequacy in infrastructure and lack of healthcare access are some of the major reasons our country is lagging when it comes to having easy access to cancer specialists in Delhi.  

When a loved one tests positive for cancer, it can be daunting for the friends and family. But, there is no need to fret; now, you can find the best blood cancer treatment in Delhi NCR at Cancer Consult India. We take the utmost care of our patients and provide a comprehensive and patient-centric approach, which leads to an efficient treatment process and high probabilities of recovery. Moreover, we have researched and developed unique ways to regularly adhere to the patient’s treatment even during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

You can also contact Dr. Manish Singhal, the best cancer doctor and a part of the Cancer Consult India(CCI) team. We assure you positive outcomes and the road to a normal productive life for the patient.

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