About 67% of cancer patients seek second advise

About 67 per cent of cancer patients getting treatment in private hospitals and 33 per cent availing treatment at government hospitals sought a second opinion to find if their treatment is on the correct course, a survey has found. The maximum number of calls were from Hyderabad followed by Meerut, Mumbai and New Delhi.

The survey was carried out by the Cancer Mukt Bharat Foundation on 1,769 cancer patients across India who called on its Cancer helpline number from March 1 to May 31 this year.

Dr Ashish Gupta, a senior oncologist who is heading the Cancer Mukt Bharat Campaign, said, “In the field of cancer care, new medicines are approved almost every week. So this is the main reason to get another opinion”. He said that since the launch of Helpline Number, it is proving to be a support system for cancer patients across India. We get more than 50 calls every day from across all Indian states asking about the latest treatment methods for their respective cancer diagnosis.

Dr Gupta said 67 per cent patients who called on this helpline are taking treatment from private hospitals while 33 per cent were those being treated at government hospitals. The campaign aims to reduce incidence and impact of cancer on individuals

and communities through education and early detection. The survey found that patients from both government and private hospitals were keen to take second opinions for their cancer treatment.First step should be the best step” to win over cancer as the first step decides the success of any cancer treatment. With continuous research now we get new medicines almost every week which can treat cancer in a better way leading to better outcomes and good quality of life for cancer patients. So a second opinion can assure the use of the latest medicines and treatment methods that usually differ from hospital to hospital,” said Dr Gupta.