NE oncologists' meet concludes at Cachar Cancer Hospital

From Special Correspondent

Silchar, Feb 1: The two day 12th annual meeting of the Association of Oncologists of North East India (AONEI) – 2017 hosted by the Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (CCHRC), Meherpur, near this town, concluded on last Sunday. Experts on the subject from various parts of India attended the conference and took part in the deliberations. The event consisted of workshops and lectures by the experts from different streams of cancer treatment and its related aspects. These included surgical oncology, radiation oncology, radiology, onco-pathology, nursing oncology, palliative care, biostatistics and capacity building.

During the panel discussions, it was held by the experts how to diagnose different types of cancer and what standard treatment protocol to be adopted, suitable for the patients. The focus was also on efficacy of targeted therapies in magement of various types of cancer. In the onco-pathology workshop, the topic of discussion was on how to formulate standard reporting in breast, larynx and hypopharynx cancer. The key-note lecture highlighted the impact of molecular oncology on screening, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. During the session of interactions with professors, students and research scholars from Assam University and different colleges of this valley, several questions were lobbed at Dr. T. Rajkumar on the basic and recent advancements in the cancer research. All the queries were replied to the satisfaction of the teachers and students who were enlightened with basic and advanced knowledge on cancer research.

Surgical oncology workshop started with surgical video presentation where Dr. N. Kathiresan from Apollo Speciality Hospital, Cheni, moderated the session which was followed by panel discussion on various types of cancer. Panel discussion on magement of locally advanced breast cancer was moderated by Dr. S G Raman, MCCF, Cheni. The panelists were Dr. Vanda Raphael, NEIGRIMS, Shillong, Dr. R Rangath, NIMS, Hyderabad, Dr. Joydeep Purkayastha, BBCI, Guwahati, Dr. Ramesh Saharia, Dibrugarh, and Dr. Y Indibor Singh, RIMS, Imphal.

Panel discussion on magement of ovarian cancer was moderated by Dr. D K Vijaykumar, AIMS, Kochi, and the panelists were Dr. Vikas Mahajan, MCCF, Cheni, Dr. Amish Chaudhury, Max Hospital, New Delhi, Dr. Sunil Agarwala, SUM Hospital, Bhubneshwar, Dr. Sumit Goyal, RGCI, New Delhi, Dr. Jaganth Sarma, BBCI, Guwahati, and Dr. Anja Surath, IACI Hyderabad.  Panel discussion on magement of cervical cancer was moderated by Dr. D. K. Vijaykumar, AIMS, Kochi, and the panelists were Dr. Pranoy th, SMCH, Silchar, Dr. Mira Wagh, RCC Trivandrum, Dr. A. K. Kalita, BBCI, Guwahati, and Dr. A. Abrari, Max Hospital, New Delhi.

The concluding day saw workshop on surgical oncology and the panel discussion on magement of gastric cancer was moderated by Dr. Vikash Mahajan, MCCF, Cheni, and the panelists were Dr. Jaduth Buragohain, GMCH, Guwahati, Dr. Mari Basar, Itagar, Dr. Monoj Deka, SMCH, Silchar, Dr. A. Santa, IACH, Hyderabad, Dr. Piyal g, CCHRC, Silchar. Panel discussion on magement of rectal cancer was moderated by Dr. Arun Peter, RCC, Trivandrum, and the panelists were Dr. Caleb Harris, NEIGRIHMS, Shillong, Dr. Bihari Agrawal, Jorhat, Dr. Aroop Roy Barman, Agartala, Dr. Partha Sarathi Roy, BBCI, Guwahati, Dr. Ganesh Das, Ayusudara, Guwahati, Dr. Pratap Kakati, Guwahati, and Dr. S. A. Sheikh, SMCH, Silchar.

On the workshop on radiation oncology, experts, Dr. Dinesh, Dr. Vikash Mahajan, BBCI, Dr. Kalita, BBCI, Dr. Aroop Roy Barman, Agartala, Dr. Ravi Chandran, CCHRC, delivered lectures on various aspects of radiation oncology. Dr. Ashish Patil from Max Hospital demonstrated the various aspects of interventiol radiology. Onco-pathology workshop was on grossing and standard reporting on carcinoma of breast, larynx and hypopharynx in which experts like Dr. A. Abrari, Max Hospital, New Delhi, Dr. Monoj Deka, SMCH, Silchar, Dr. Vanda Raphael, NEIGRIMS, Shillong, and Dr. Anuradha Talukdar, CCHRC, Silchar,  participated.

Significantly, the speciality workshops included nursing oncology which was deliberated over by Parthepa  Jgdish, TMH, Mumbai, Maria Carvalho, TMH, Mumbai, Ms Rita Lakhani, Mumbai, Nilima Singade, AIIMS, New Delhi, and Chitra Sen Gupta. Keynote lecture on basic molecular biology for the practicing oncologist was delivered by Dr. T. Rajkumar, Cancer Institute (WIA), Cheni. He also conducted the "Meet The Professor" session. The guest-lecture was delivered by Dr. R Swamithan, Cancer Institute (WIA), Cheni, on epidemiology and biostatistics. In palliative care workshop Dr. Anj Surath, IACH, Dr..Dinesh Goswami, Pain and Palliative society, Guwahati were the experts.

In capacity building workshop and patient support group Ms Viji Venkatesh, The Max Foundation, Mumbai, was the expert. Delegates participated in discussion and came out with their valuable views. AONEI 2017 was iugurated by M C Das, general mager, forward base ONGC, Sriko, and Rajeev Roy, ADC, Cachar. The president of the programme, Dr. Kuddush Ahmed, presented the AONEI 2017 oration. All the invited experts were felicitated by the AONEI 2017 organizing committee members who included Dr. K P Chakarborty, chairman, Dr. Ritesh Tapkire, organizing secretary, Dr. R Ravi Kann, director, CCHRC, Dr. Rajeev Kumar, joint organizing secretary and Dr. K. K Das, director, SMSB.

During AONEI governing body meeting, Dr. A. K. Kalita and Dr. Vikash Jagtap was elected as the new president and secretary of AONEI respectively. It was a successful event and all the delegates and members were unimous in their opinion. Behind its success lies the hard work put in by Seetha Ravi Kann, Dr. Poulome Mukherjee Tapkire, Dr. Anuradha Talukdar, Debabratta Datta, Baptu Debroy, Kalyan Chakarborty, Abhijit th, Sarita Chetri, Litika Vermani, Partha Sharma, Rajib Dey, Arubha Bhattacharjee, Dibyendu Sharma among others.