HYDERABAD: MNJ Cancer Hospital, in association with city based NGO Helping Hand Foundation, has initiated a new programme for patients undergoing radio therapy for head and neck cancers. Patients are now being given counselling for diet, oral hygiene, exercises for the neck and oral cavity along with nutritional supplements by three dedicated volunteers of the NGO and a dietician of the MNJ Cancer Hospital. At the MNJ Institute of Oncology and Cancer Research Center, about 1,000 new cases of head and neck cancers are reported every year.
These constitute 4 – 5 percent of the overall cancers in India.
“Radiation therapy is one of the key components of treatment for head and neck cancer. Every week about 30 patients are discharged post radiation therapy from our hospital. After undergoing seven weeks of radiation therapy, however, due to side effects of the treatment coupled with lack of understanding of oral hygiene and insufficient nutritional intake, most patients land up with infections of the oral cavity and respiratory tract, post RT and come back to us within days of discharge with complications,” said Dr N Jayalata, Director of MNJ Cancer Hospital.
According to the radiation oncologist, patients who receive radiation to the head and neck may experience redness, irritation, and sores in the mouth; a dry mouth or thickened saliva; difficulty in swallowing; changes in taste; or nausea. Other problems that may occur during treatment are loss of taste, which may decrease appetite and affect nutrition. The jaw may feel stiff and patients may not be able to open their mouth as wide as before treatment.
To effectively counter the above complications and to improve the outcome of treatment in head and neck cancers – patients are now being counselled and trained on using simple and inexpensive salt water gargle, cheek physiotherapy, exercises for the neck and mouth along with breathing exercises, said Dr. Sanjeevi Kumar, Senior Radiation Oncologist at MNJ Cancer hospital.“The treatment outcomes of such patients can be significantly improved they have better chances of fighting the complications due to the treatment said Mr. Mujtaba Hasan Askari, Chief Health Officer of Helping Hand Foundation.