P.D. Hinduja Hospital & MRC and Kings’ College, London’s well-known oncologists and researchers came together to deliberate the growing incidences of oncology, cost burden and the future of effective cancer treatment at a 3 day conference themed ‘New Frontiers in Breast and Thoracic Malignancies’ held at P.D. Hinduja Hospital from April 21 - 23, 2017. The first of its kind symposium was organized with the purpose of enhancing India’s efforts towards effective cancer management and providing higher standards of medical support in Breast, Lung and Esophagus cancers.

The symposium witnessed close to 40 experts who provided novel insights through a knowledge and expertise sharing session and was attended by over 150 practicing oncologists and post graduate students in medical, surgical and radiation oncology. The conference was inaugurated by Dr. V. Shanta, a prominent Cancer specialist, Chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai and the winner of several awards including the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan- the second highest civilian award by Government of India.

During the inauguration, Dr. V. Shanta, Chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai said “Our mission is and continues to be the prevention of preventable cancers, reducing the gap between state of the art treatment, research and its clinical application. It has been a matter of great hope and joy, and at the same time anguish, that we have done so little, and so much more is to be done in the field of oncology care. I believe that meetings like this will help us go forward.”

The joint symposium by P. D. Hinduja Hospital and Kings College, London was aimed at imparting newer and progressive knowledge to the medical fraternity to provide better medical care.

Highlighting the importance of the collaboration with Kings College London, Vinoo S. Hinduja, Executive Trustee, P. D. Hinduja Hospital said, “’Partnership for Growth’ has been one of our guiding principles laid by our founder P. D. Hinduja. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution made by Indu Shahni, a globally recognized dynamic leader in the field of education, in bringing together P. D. Hinduja Hospital and Kings College. Kings College over the years has shown some exemplary work in the field of cancer care. This association will help both institutions explore core strengths to find better solutions by making critical knowledge available through a unified platform. We intend to inspire medical professionals and create global awareness on the current standing of cancer treatment and research.”

Gautam Khanna chief executive officer of P.D. Hinduja Hospital said, “It has been an honour to host this vital conference with King’s College, London. This only reiterates our vision of engaging and sustaining international collaborations to become world leaders in the field of oncology.”

Addressing the conference, Dr. Asha Kapadia, Chief of Medicine & Head, Department of Oncology, P. D. Hinduja Hospital & MRC said, “The death toll caused by cancer is growing at an alarming rate. Majority of these deaths are caused due to patients seeking treatment at very advanced stages. A study by ICMR in 2016 found that only 12.5% patients came for treatment during early onset of cancer. In order to increase these numbers and provide life-saving treatment in a low to middle income country, we desperately need to adopt global practices in prevention and early diagnosis. The Hinduja family and management has always encouraged and prodded us to excel in academics and service. With this conference, we aim to have stipulating scientific discussions that will help us steer in the right direction and help bring to the country improved measures that were previously hindering our progress in the field of cancer care and treatment.”

“It has been a great sharing experience coming to India and interacting with established experts and medical aspirants in the field of oncology. We have always had very fruitful partnerships in India and we see this as the next big partnership that we would like to forge. We look forward to sharing with you our learnings and look forward to learning with you over the next 3 days. I am glad to say that P.D. Hinduja Hospital & MRC is one of the first organizations to have a step towards working together for the betterment of the diseased in the country.” said Dr. Arnie Purushotham, Director of King’s Health Partners Cancer Centre (KHPCC), Chair of Breast Cancer at King’s College London (KCL).

The conference started on a brilliant note with the journey of cancer treatment in independent India through the eyes of Dr. V. Shanta, a practicing oncologist for the last six decades and recipient of several awards including the Magsaysay Award, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan. Dr. Arnie Purushotham and Dr. Ashutosh Kothari from Kings College, London deliberated on the upcoming trends in surgical techniques of breast cancer including intraoperative Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging (CLI) and Oncoplastic surgery. One of the key trends noticed is the rising incidence of breast cancer and an emphasis on early diagnosis by different methods including stereotactic biopsy.