Cancer cases increasing in Gujarat, where are pain management experts?

AHMEDABAD: Cancer prevalence rose in Gujarat from 55.5 per lakh population in 1990 to 75.8 in 2016, states ‘The burden of cancers and their variations across the state of India’, a report by Lancet published in 2018. Last year, Gujarat recorded 80,820 new cases of cancer, or nine cases every hour.


Yet, with these staggering figures, more than a quarter of the cases are diagnosed in third or fourth stage and are difficult to treat.

With overall better longevity, cancer patients may need pain management and holistic care for a few months to a few years. This is where palliative care comes into picture.

Dr Shashank Pandya, director of Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute (GCRI), the biggest cancer speciality hospital of Gujarat, said that earlier medical thought was to involve pain management experts at an advanced stage. “Now, in majority of the cases, palliative care experts works closely with oncologists right from admission,” he said.

With a rise in cancer cases and increased longevity, experts in the state are stressing on more palliative care experts. A senior surgeon at a public hospital said that there are less than 10% experts available compared to actual requirement in both public and private set-ups. “Awareness is surely there. In 2018, we trained 31 doctors and 16 nurses in palliative care. However, till November 2019, we have trained 15 doctors and 10 nurses,” said Dr Priti Sanghavi, professor (palliative care) at GCRI.

The city was the only major centre earlier, but in the recent past seven other government hospitals now have palliative care experts. The numbers however are minuscule. Apart from cancer patients, other conditions such as HIV and non-communicable diseases also need care. “The discipline is much more than medicine, with emphasis on physical and psychological well-being of a patient, while ensuring that they live life to the fullest. Now more oncologists are working with palliative experts,” said Dr Jay Panchal, a city-based palliative care expert.

Dr Chirag Shah, a city-based hemato-oncologist, said that two-thirds of cases when diagnosed are in the third and fourth stage. “They surely need palliative care. But our role is also to educate relatives and community so that the patients don’t feel alienated. Some people still believe cancer is contagious,” he said.

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