With an estimated 1.4 crore cases, cancer is the second largest cause for mortality, killing over 8.8 lakh people. To combat cancer, researchers are exploring multiple ways to find effective treatment options.

As the world finds its way in exploring newer possibilities of treating cancer, at home young Indians are also steadfast on the lookout for better techniques to diagnose cancers that can lead to more effective treatment measures. At a scientific convention held here on radiation oncology, which is a medical specialty involving the use of radiation therapy as a treatment method to cure cancer, latest observations were presented before the scientific community. As of now, CNS Tumors affect roughly 10 people per 100,000 Indians per year constituting 2% of all tumors diagnosed in India.

Present at the convention Dr. Kunal Sharma, from CORE Diagnostics, said, “The findings we presented addressed the latest outlook towards cancers in particular CNS tumors, where molecular testing is the new benchmark to classify, predict outcome and assess treatment response. Tumors were conventionally classified by histology, which is the microscopic study of cancer cells and their interactions with the surrounding tissue.”

He added, “It was found that the classifications were not exactly predictive and prognostic especially in brain tumors and the tumors could be better grouped on the basis of their molecular profiles. This changes the way tumors are treated, and hence, despite them appearing as a certain kind, their classification, behavior and response to treatment, would depend on their molecular characteristics.” It was established that histopathology should be considered only to go for the next level of testing, which in CNS tumors, is molecular testing. The direct impact of these findings on cancer is more accurate diagnosis of cancers, predicting overall survival, choice of therapy and therapeutic response.

As there are various genes predicting the radio-sensitivity of a particular tumor in a particular patient, there becomes a need to personalize the treatment given to different patients. The most important conclusion is that these molecular tests are to be taken as the next step to conventional diagnosis and not a replacement to it. With India recording one of the highest numbers of cancer cases, sharing such findings gives better visibility of how India is planning to cope with the increasing incidence of various types of cancers.

“Of many other fields, we have focused on molecular diagnostics heavily to find a better therapy to treat cancer. These findings would be of significant effect in treating brain cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, and pancreatic cancer”, said Zoya Brar, Founder & MD, CORE Diagnostics.