Combating Pancreatic cancer

To combat the threat by spreading awareness, Asia8217;a first website that informs about pancreatic and peri ampullary cancer 8212; pancreaticcancerindia.com 8212; has been launched. It aims at providing a comprehensive platform and building awareness on pancreatic cancer and periampullary tumours among patients, care givers and health care professionals.

This website will provide a novel forum to patients and the pancreatic cancer medical community in India. This will enable pancreatologists, oncologists, general practitioners, radiologists, pathologists, palliative specialists, nurses, patients and families to interact freely with each other about their concerns. It will also provide them up-to-date and locally relevant information on various aspects of pancreatic and peri-ampullary cancer.

Dr K A Dinshaw, director, Tata Memorial Centre, launched the website.

Pancreaticcancerindia.com is the brain child of pancreatic cancer specialists from the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai and Sir Gangaram Hospital, New Delhi. Dr Shailesh V Shrikhande, Dr Sudeep Gupta and Dr Umesh Mahantshetty, from the Tata Memorial Hospital and Dr Shyam Aggarwal and Dr Adarsh Chaudhary, from Sir Gangaram Hospital are multidisciplinary specialists in Oncology and belong to different regions of India but share a keen common interest in research and management of pancreatic cancer.

Dr Shrikhande, associate professor and consultant surgeon, Gastrointestinal and Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Tata Memorial Hospital said, 8220;The annual pancreatic cancer load of India is likely to increase in the near future because of the increase in older population. The situation calls for a need of multicentric studies, more systematic approach to document outcomes at all levels and identify potentially preventable risk factors associated with pancreatic cancer in India.8221;

8220;There is a need for improving knowledge and awareness of this disease among healthcare professionals and general population. This website will bridge this void in our country. With the availability of advanced technology in India, our effort is to create awareness towards significantly improving the treatment outcomes, the doctors said.

8220;The pattern of pancreatic cancer is different in our country. This is most likely the result of demographic structure of our population that is still predominately young. There is a lack of palliative and end-life-support to the patients, which is very important in a fatal disease like this,8221; says Dr Shyam Aggarwal, hon. senior consultant and chairman, Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Gangaram Hospital.

The website has started its journey as an information and interaction resource. The information will include diagnosis, staging, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, palliative care, nursing issues, targeted therapies, clinical trials, translational and basic research. There will be sections dedicated to patient and professionals.