Magic Bullet to replace Chemotherapy

Publication: Times Of India Bangalore; Date: Mar 18, 2010; Section: Times City; Page: 6

Magic bullet can replace chemotherapy

The Radioactive Drug Costs Rs 1.5 Lakh Has No Side-Effects, Barring The Usual Fatigue

Seethalakshmi S | TNN

Bangalore: Krishnan (name changed) was diagnosed with stomach cancer last week. But this 50-year-old’s instruction to the oncologist was clear: No chemotherapy. But, he could well be healed, thanks to a new cure.

Krishnan may be put on Dota, a radioactive drug which costs a whopping Rs 1.5 lakh but spares the patient painful chemotherapy. The drug, injected into the body, works like a magic bullet which targets the cancerous tumour and kills abnormal cells.

Bangalore-based Health Care Global (HCG) has collaborated with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay to administer this treatment to patients. With this, they can avoid surgery (where the cancerous tumour is removed) followed by several sessions of chemotherapy and radiation. “Personalised treatment is the way ahead in cancer care. Though doing away with chemotherapy is slowly becoming popular, we’re treating patients where it’s part chemotherapy and a large part is drugs which cost anywhere between Rs 80,000 to Rs 1.1 lakh per dose. These are targeted drugs,’’ Dr B S Ajai Kumar, chairman and CEO, HCG told TOI. There are no side-effects, barring the usual fatigue that occurs after such high-dose treatments. HCG is the first hospital in Bangalore to use a cyber-knife (bloodless surgery using robots) for cancer treatment.

Oncologists admit that doing away completely with chemotherapy may take time before it’s become popular for two reasons, specially in India. “The primary reason is economic. Chemotherapy leaves psychological and physical scars on the patient but substituting drugs is way too expensive. Yet another factor is the disease level, unique for every patient. Merely administering the costly drug may not necessarily help. Ultimately, the body must accept it. That’s where customised treatment comes in,” explained an oncology researcher.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) 2010 estimate predicted that cancer will overtake cardiac diseases as the No. 1 killer in the world. Shockingly, In5dia and China will have the highest number of cases.