KOCHI: The District Comprehensive Cancer Control Programme (DCCP) which has benefited hundreds of patients in Ernakulam so far is likely to be emulated in other districts of the state. One of the principal efforts made under the state government’s cancer control strategy, the programme aims to achieve early detection of common cancers, such as that of mouth, breasts, and cervix. As part of the project, cancer literacy is being imparted at various levels, from doctors and primary health centre officials to the general public.
In a videoconference with the district and panchayat presidents on Monday, Health Minister K K Shailaja said the project, which has been successful on multiple fronts, will be rolled out in all of the state’s districts over a period of time. Under the DCCP, which was inaugurated by the minister in July last year, over 80,000 people residing in all blocks and panchayats have been made aware of the symptoms of cancer.
With a population of 32.8 lakh, Ernakulam district is estimated to have an incidence of 5,400 new cancer cases every year. Recently, a detailed report on the biopsies of 575 people in the district was submitted to the health minister. As many as 61 people who underwent the test were diagnosed with cancer, with eight of them in Stage 1 of the disease. The report also revealed that around 60 per cent of the patients suffered from oral cancer. The biopsies were conducted in December last year.
“We had conducted training classes to help people detect early warning signs and symptoms of cancer, and understand the need for regular screening and monthly breast self-examination. It is necessary to mitigate the stigma associated with the disease,” said Dr Moni Abraham Kuriakose, director of the Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC). He added that the project was progressing smoothly until the Covid outbreak hampered the awareness activities.
The DCCP was executed as an initiative of the local self-government department, with the participation of the health department, the National Health Mission (NHM), and the technical support of the CCRC. “A District Cancer Control Board was constituted under the chairmanship of the District Collector and the district panchayat president. The trainers have educated an estimate of 70,000 high-risk individuals in various ward-level awareness programmes,” said Dolly Kuriakose, district panchayat president. According to Dolly, the primary goals of the DCCP are to reduce the incidence of preventable cancers with early detection and to better the treatment experience for the patients as well as their families.
“Kerala has the highest incidence of cancer in the country. This highlights the need for such an initiative here. The programme became successful because of the coordinated efforts by all local bodies, the health department, the NHM, and the CCRC,” she said. Though a cancer control programme was launched in 2018, its ambit has now been expanded and broadened by the participation of various departments and local bodies, she said.
Although the DCCP has already demonstrated its effectiveness in the government sector, it will not have a population-wide impact, unless measures for early detection of cancer are implemented in the private healthcare sector as well. The private sector accounts for over 60 per cent of all cancer diagnoses in the state. “The IMA and private cancer hospitals were gearing up to launch similar activities in the private sector as well during March this year, but the plan was interrupted by Covid,” said Dr Moni.
The DCCP was conceived as a comprehensive approach that integrates cancer prevention, early detection, and surveillance by utlising the services of the existing primary healthcare system. The strategies include improving cancer literacy, raising awareness on early warning signs of cancer among primary care physicians, integrating cancer surveillance with palliative care network, and establishing a population-based cancer registry to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme through monitoring incidence, the pattern of care, and the outcome.