‘70% child brain tumours curable’
If your child has been diagnosed with brain tumour, malignant or not, and doctor has advised surgery, then don’t get panicky. Advancement in radiology therapies and technologies has proved to successfully cure 70% paediatric brain tumour, without any memory loss or functional disabilities.
Noted oncologist Dr Nagraj G Huilgol, who was in Lucknow on Friday to take part in the ongoing three-day annual conference of the Indian Society of NeuroOncology (ISNO), said: “Now there are radiotherapy technologies which can effectively target the malignant tumour while sparing the brain. So there are no chances of memory loss.”
Chief radiation oncologist at Dr Balabhai Nanavati
NOW THERE ARE SEVERAL RADIOTHERAPY TECHNOLOGIES WHICH CAN EFFECTIVELY TARGET THE MALIGNANT TUMOUR WHILE SPARING THE CHILD’S BRAIN. SO THERE IS NO CHANCE OF MEMORY LOSS Dr NAGRAJ G HUILGOL, chief radiation oncologist, Dr Balabhai Nanavati Hospital
Hospital, Dr Huilgol added at Nanavati, doctors used all the available latest technologies for the cure and care of brain tumour patients, which ensure high success rate in such cases.
The ISNO conference was dedicated to advancement of science and brain tumour patient care in India and was hosted by radiotherapy department of Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences.
Dr Huilgol, however, sounded a word of caution that in case of delay in treatment brain tumour could cause considerable devastation to a patient and may even lead to loss of personality and functional disabilities.
He said that researchers were working overtime to develop more refined technologies.
Fortunately, brain tumour is not very common, like head and neck cancer among men or breast cancer among women, the oncologist said, adding: “But if a patient has been diagnosed with brain tumour it should be addressed effectively.”
The conference, attended by 250 delegates, also focused on the newer scientific developments in improving patient care, Dr Shaleen Kumar, head of department, SGPGIMS said.
“Experts from various disciplines, including neurosurgery, oncology and basic sciences are attending the conference,” said Dr Rakesh Jalali, professor of radiation oncology and senior consultant at Tata Memorial Hospital. He is also the in-charge of Brain Tumour Foundation of India.