BENGALURU:The fear of radiation therapy is keeping cancer patients away from getting treatment on time, said Dr K P R Promodh, Medical Superintendent Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology (KMIO).
With advancement in technology and introduction of ‘Optically Simulated Luminescence Dosimetry’, the exact location of cancerous cells can be located and they can be destroyed, thereby lowering the risk of organs getting damaged, he added.
He was speaking at the National Symposium on ‘Optically Simulated Luminescence Dosimetry in Advanced Radiotherapy Practice’ organised by Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology. “Nearly 80 per cent of patients who come for cancer treatment are in advanced stages. While treating those patients, radiotherapy plays a significant role. At Kidwai, 2.8 lakh patients come only for followup and every year 18,000 new patients are added to the list. The institution also received 20 per cent of patients from other states. If these patients come early, treatment gets better results.” said Dr K B Linge Gowda, Director, KMIO.
Dr P Sreekumar, Director, Institute of Astrophysics and Dr U Madhavanath, former head, Department of Radiation Physics, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre were also present.