World Cancer Day-2023: All You Need To Know

World Cancer Day, observed annually on February 4, aims to address the growing burden of cancer worldwide. This year’s theme is “Close the Care Gap” which is centered on equity and accessibility.
At the fourth edition of the Cancer Summit 2023 on Friday, Dr. G K Rath, the former head of the National Cancer Institute, said, “Some of the challenges encountered in obtaining services for cancer prevention and early detection might be resolved by equipping primary healthcare professionals with essential cancer knowledge, skills and information.”
Titled “Uniting Voices and Taking Action”, the summit, held on Friday on the eve of World Cancer Day, was organized by IHW Council and RAPID Global Cancer Alliance.
The focus was to deliberate on some of the challenges related to India’s optimum cancer care and to enhance the present healthcare system.

Prioritizing  Universal Health Coverage

Identifying models of healthcare that prioritize universal health coverage and protect cancer patients against incurring a financial burden holds the key to truly equitable and accessible cancer care, said noted Madan Gopal, senior consultant-Health, NITI Aayog.
These models will ensure that every patient, regardless of their ability to pay, can access the treatments they need and receive the best possible care, he said.
Kamal Narayan, CEO of IHW Council, who unveiled the recently launched RAPID Global Cancer Alliance platform, stated that the summit this year focused on the most crucial cancer aspects for a comprehensive discussion centered on equitable care delivery and collaboration.
“Through this event and our dedicated cancer platform, we hope to not only take forward our global cancer advocacy but also gather the top oncology specialists, patient activists, industry professionals, and policymakers in these uncertain times, and work across sectors to optimize advances in cancer care delivery,” Narayan said. PTI PLB

Aligned with its commitment to patient safety, BD (Becton, Dickinson, and Company), launched a microsite https://www.bdportshala.com for healthcare professionals and patients on World Cancer Day. It is also the second anniversary of BD India’s Portshala initiative.

About Chemoports

Portshala is a medical education program for healthcare professionals that was conceptualized to create awareness of Chemoports. These include painless delivery of chemotherapy drugs through a single port without requiring the need for multiple access points thereby eliminating the need to find a suitable vein at each chemo session.

About Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is one of the common treatment lines for cancer that is aimed at killing cancer cells, preventing them from spreading, and slowing the growth rate. For the intravenous chemo drug delivery process, the drugs need to be given through a Vascular Access Device (VAD) such as an IV cannula, PICC line, or a chemo port. A chemo port is an advanced VAD that is surgically placed under the skin for easy and repeated access.

Highlighting the benefits of Chemoports, Dr. Sandeep Nayak, Senior Director- Surgical Oncology, Robotic & Laparoscopic Surgery, Fortis Cancer Institute, and MACS Clinic, Bangalore says, “Cancer patients often go through intravenous treatment to receive chemotherapy, medications, and blood transfusions. Unfortunately, this also results in multiple needle pricks for the patient as most of the time the vein is not easily detected. The process becomes very painful for the patient. The benefit of the chemo port is that it stays in place throughout the treatment duration. The maintenance of the port is also very simple and the patient does have to do anything about it.”

Oncologists all over the world are recognizing the advantages of using Chemoports rather than traditional cannulas. The ports can stay in place as long as the physician recommends. So, unlike cannulas, one doesn’t need to replace them frequently and thus has lesser visits to the hospital. A study indicates that 92% of the patients had an improved quality of life with chemo ports.

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About BD

BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics, and the delivery of care. BD helps customers enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to healthcare.