Cancer incidence is on the rise among young adults, aged between 15 and 39 years, with lung and colorectal cancers affecting the majority, said oncologists at a webinar organised jointly by The Hindu and Kauvery Hospital, on the eve of World Cancer Day.
Speaking at a webinar on ‘Recent Advancements in Cancer Treatment’, the oncologists said that one in nine Indians were likely to develop cancer in their lifetime. “The risk factors were driven by diet, lifestyle and exposure to environmental pollution,” they said.
All the panellists from Kauvery group of hospitals in Tamil Nadu — A.N. Vaidhyswaran, senior consultant and director of Radiation oncology; Sathish Kumar Anandan, senior consultant, surgical oncologist and robotic surgeon; and M. Mangai Suseela, medical oncologist — emphasised that maintaining proper and healthy diet, exercising and seeking early regular check-ups were crucial to treating cancer.
Dr. Mangai said that immunotherapy and targeted therapy are the major advancements in medical oncology today. “Coupled with early screening and detection, 30% to 50% of cancers are curable and preventable (depending on the location and stage of cancer),” she said.
Dr. Vaidhyswaran emphasised that people should be aware of their health and mandatorily have health insurance. “The affordability of cancer treatment and care depends on the stage it is detected in — if diagnosed earlier, then patient outcome is better and treatment costs are less,” he said.
Dr. Sathish explained how robotic surgery has been a game-changer in faster recovery and shorter hospital stay for patients. “The surgical scars are not visible, there is no high stress to the body or hernial pain. The high-definition precision robotic surgery helps to preserve organs and avoids adjacent organ injury and patients can go in for early initiation of chemotherapy or radiotherapy as next level of treatment,” he said.
The panellists reiterated that despite advancements in cancer treatment, the focus will never shift from early detection. They also appealed to the public to seek proper oncological advice from doctors instead of succumbing to WhatsApp messages promoting alternate therapies and medicines.
YouTube link: https://newsth.live/THKACY
Published – February 03, 2026 08:13 pm IST
