Do you really get scared by hearing the name “Cancer”?

Do not panic as we have the best solution for it.

“Instead of being satisfied to wait for conditions to be perfect it always better to take action for changing the condition to be perfect”

Dr. Suresh H. Advani was born on August 1st, 1947 in Karachi, Pakistan but moved to Mumbai, India after partition. He is a famous oncologist in India, first person to be a cancer specialist. With a diversified 35 years of experience in the field of cancer, he holds a magic in his therapy which have helped so many patients to overcome the trauma of this deadly disease. He holds MD, FICP, F.N.A.M.S, (MRCS) Onc Head of Oncology Department, Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai, India.

Dr. Suresh Advani’s journey:

1. Background:

Dr. Advani was born in a simple family in Karachi, Pakistan, where he had to move to India after partition. His life started with pain as he was attacked by Polio at just the age of 8. Since in those days, no one had much idea about this disease, he was known to this. His family settled in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, India after few years of search of home. Though he was into the physically challenged category but had intentions right from the beginning to be a savior of lives.

“I had to undergo a lot of pain from my childhood, but promise to relief people from pain” — he dreams.

2. Education:

He completed his schooling from Sindhi Medium School, Ghatkopar, Mumbai. Later, he graduated from K J Somaiya (Karamshi Jethabhai Somaiya) college, Mumbai. After graduating, he then focused mainly in medicine field and pursued a professional degree from Grant Medical College, Mumbai. Here also he suffered a lot as he was not given admission earlier due to his physically disabled status.

“Nothing is impossible to achieve if you have a strong will and determination to pursue it”.

This is exactly Dr. Advani proved to everyone that polio cannot come in the path of a strong determined person. Finally after convincing doctors who were treating him on polio, he got admission. He completed his M.B.B.S from Grant Medical College, Mumbai. Later, he opt a specific field named “Oncology”, as he realized the need as resources were less in India for this treatment.

3. Career:

Dr. Suresh Advani did his training at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, US. He got a chance to work with a Nobel Prize winner “Dr. E Donnall Thomas” who is famously named as the “Father of Bone-marrow Transplantation”.

Dr. Suresh H. Advani is one of the well-known oncologists in India, a doctor for cancer patients. He says “India faces acute shortage of cancer specialists, only one doctor available for every 2,500 patients”.

In his early 70’s, he still sees around 70–80 patients a day. Whereas in US, doctors only sees 10 patients a day.

Once a question when asked to Dr. Suresh Advani:

Question: What is your advice for the young physicians who want to pursue their career in oncology?

Answer: I think, it is one branch, when I joined this branch I was asked as why I wanted to join this branch. For young doctors, I suggest to join oncology as this is not so easy and it is an ongoing revolution to fight against cancer. With the help of new concepts, technology and innovation, we can deal cancer patients more conveniently. So, if you want to be the part of this innovation, join oncology.

4. Honors:

· Recipient of Rashtriyra Krantiveer Award, Ujjain — 2014

· Recipient of the Padma Bhushan award by Government of India — 2012

· Recipient of Dr. B. C. Roy National Award by Medical Council of India — 2005

· Awarded Lifetime Achievement in Oncology by Harvard Medical International — 2005

· Recipient of the Padma Shri by Government of India — 2002

· Recipient of the prestigious “Dhanvantari Award” for outstanding contributions to medicine — 2002

· Elected fellow — National Academy of Medical Sciences — 1996

5. Innovations:

· Dr. Suresh Advani started “Stem cell transplantation in India”.

· Cancer — prevention and early detection.

· Pioneer in establishing Bone-marrow transplantation setup in India.

6. Currently, Dr. Suresh Advani is:

Director of Cancer Department — Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai

Address:

15, Dr. Deshmukh Marg, Pedder Road, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400026.

Chairman of Cancer Department — Raheja Hospital, Mumbai

Address:

Raheja Rugnalaya Marg, Mahim West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400016.

7. Reviews:

· There is no bitterness to my cancer experience — Manisha Koirala, Bollywood Actress

· When it comes to the cancer treatment, Dr. Advani is the best cancer specialist in India — Dr. Vishnu Agarwal, Oncologist

Interview with Dr. Advani:

Question 1: Tell us your inspiration behind developing the new technique of Stem Cell transplant therapy for cancer?

Answer- This was really something which came up because of the fact that, in those days there was one disease which was very common named “Chronic Myeloid Leukemia”. This disease had median survival of three years. It had three phases:

1. Chronic Phase

2. Accelerated Phase

3. Blast crisis (disappearance of patient, dies)

This was very painful for everybody, for patient, doctors and relatives. The first report of the disease came was on chronic myeloid leukemia that this had become curable. Even if 10 percent of these patients get cured, I think this is a big jump. I got an opportunity to go to US at the bone marrow transplant center at Seattle and I worked with Nobel Prize winner Donnall Thomas at that center. It was unbelievable. I was there for 6 months and for these many months I could really covered the whole process of transplant and it was really good opportunity for me and my team to apply the whole knowledge which I had experience before and at Tata Memorial hospital, we did our first successfully surgery.

Question 2: What are the current challenges in stem cell transplant treatment for cancer patients in India?

Answer: I think the most important fact remains that when you do the transplant, you undergo two types of problems: Long term bone marrow separation and during that period, patients have high infection and it is a major challenge. Mortality due to infection has come down.

Second major challenge particularly, allo stem cell transplant has been is graph vs. post disease. Today we are able to prevent this disease. Challenge is still there to make it completely safe as even today there is a 10 percent complication is there.

Question 3: What are the complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation procedure?

Answer: The major problem in is the period which can varies from 2 weeks to 4 weeks, period of neutropenia. It is this period that the patient is susceptible to infection with fungal and viral.to prevent the infection in case the patient develops it is a major challenge. I think we have quite a good understanding in the process of prevention and treatment of infection with widely available of antibiotics. The challenge has come down in this area.