Around the world in five weeks. That’s the itinerary of Dr Jatin Shah, professor and chief of surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York, and six of his colleagues.
Globetrotting to create head, neck cancer awareness
Around the world in five weeks. That’s the itinerary of Dr Jatin Shah, professor and chief of surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York, and six of his colleagues. For the first time ever, the seven doctors — five oncologists, a radiotherapist and a chemotherapist — are touring 11 countries across the world to promote a cause. “The idea is to create awareness about head and neck cancer, which incidentally is one of India’s biggest problems,” said Dr Shah.
When he landed in Mumbai, one of the first things Dr Shah noticed was the ban on smoking in public places. “There was no smoking at the airport nor in the restaurant. Instead, I saw prominent signs against smoking. This is the best thing to have happened to the country,” said Dr Shah, who timed the oncologists’ visit to Mumbai to coincide with the ban which came into effect on October 2.
The International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies (IFHNOS) conducts a global congress once every four years, to promote an exchange of ideas between specialists from various parts of the world in the specialty of head and neck oncology. However, doctors from less resourceful countries are not able to travel to these diverse places that range from Prague to Seoul. “That is why we decided to conduct this world tour, where we will be holding conferences at regional centres, which general practitioners and specialists can easily attend,” explained Dr Shah, who is spearheading the tour.
Each country has been different experience for the doctors. “Even though there are golden standards for every therapy, treatment differs from country to country,” said Dr Jochen Warner, department of otolaryngology, head and neck Surgery, Philipps University of Marburg, Germany.
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