We don't teach our students medicine or ethics: Dr Shanta

CHENNAI: Unethical marketing and lack of humane practices by doctors are among the biggest challenges in the battle against cancer, said senior oncologist Dr V Shanta, chairman, Cancer Institute (WIA). Medical education wasn't in the "best of hands" and medicos neither learned enough about cancer nor about ethics at the undergraduate level, she said.
While treatment protocol had improved from molecular diagnostics to personalised medication, oncologists should focus on cost control, she said.
"Abuse of technology and drugs should be avoided. Care should be patient centric, not physician centric," Shantha said amidst thundering applause from doctors, medicos and paramedics during her 45-minute talk on 'Cancer in Women - The Indian Scenario' at Sri Ramachandra University on Saturday.
who has witnessed cancer transform from incurable fatal disease to a curable disease said Despite advances in technology, the greatest challenge today is integration of newly-acquired knowledge with patient-centric care. At least 60% of cancer patients seek treatment at the advanced stage, when the morbidity and mortality rate is extremely high, said the 89-year-old oncologist. making it one of the major compounding factors in cancer management and treatment, she said insisting on the need for enhancing undergraduate medical education in the country. "At present medical education isn't in the best of hands. We neither teach our students enough medicine nor do we teach them ethics," she said.
The incidence of cancer among women is higher in the country when compared to the other nations. While the sex ratio in the general population is 1:0.9 (M:F) in India, the ratio in cancer population is 1:1.25. Gynaecological problems constitute 25% of cancer in women and together with breast cancer, it constitutes 56% Alleviating poverty and offering better education decreases incidence of cancer in women, she said.
Breast cancer has overtaken cervical cancer as the most common form. The increase in breast cancer led to a parallel increase in ovarian cancer. Screening for breast cancer is expensive and there is no definite technology for early diagnosis of ovarian cancer, she said, urging doctors and medical students to do intensive research on cancer. "Today's research is tomorrow's treatment. Today's treatment was yesterday's research," she said.