SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, Dec 29: Cancer, a word that sends shivers down the spines of people, may not retain this status for very long here in the state. In a first, Jharkhand’s first female Oncopathologist Dr Sweta Sinha is working hard to make diagnosing patients easy with her Cancer Diagnostic Centre named ‘Saar Diagnostics’ soon.
The doctor said she is planning to inaugurate the centre in Balaji Bhawan , Cheshire home road, Bariatu by January 15th 2023.
Dr Sinha, MD (Pathology) and a Post Doctoral Fellow in Oncopathology from the Cancer Institute in Adyar, while talking to a Lagatar correspondent said, “I feel that many-a-times, patients don’t get tested because of the fear of Cancer or just paying the fee for biopsy and other tests. In such situations, financially weak patients often ignore their health and see doctors only when it is too late.”
“Through the diagnostic centre, I want to be able to help such patients, who don’t see doctors because they don’t have the money to pay for it. For this, we have plans to set up camps every week, where tests will be done free of charge for all patients,” Dr Sinha added.
Explaining the difference between Oncology surgeons and Onco Pathologists, she said, “Surgical oncologists treat cancer using surgery, including removing the tumour and nearby tissue during an operation. This type of surgeon can also perform certain types of biopsies to help diagnose cancer.”
“Meanwhile, Not only does a Onco Pathologist diagnose whether or not a person has cancer, but he or she also determines the stage of cancer and the grade or how aggressive a tumour may be. This information is essential in planning effective cancer treatment, as a patient with an aggressive or advanced tumour will most likely undergo a more aggressive treatment, while patients with low-grade, early-stage tumours may not need high-dose radiation or chemotherapy,” Dr Sinha added.
Talking about the setup and the diagnostic centre, she said that she thought of opening such a diagnostic centre when she realised the difficulties people have to go through just to make sure if they have the disease.
“Usually, biopsies and other tests take a minimum of three-four days. Results are often available within a few days. But this is difficult to predict, because further tests may be needed after the first examination of the sample. It’s sometimes necessary to send the microscope slides away to get another specialist opinion. However, I make sure to begin the testing as soon as I get the samples as a pathologist,” she added.
When asked the reason behind her as an MD choosing the field of Oncology, one of the most ‘depressing fields’, as quoted by the correspondent, she said that she didn’t find the field depressing. More so, she found it a hopeful field.
“It may have been a depressing field in the past, however now with new technologies being invented every day, and newer treatments for such diseases she found it hopeful that patients of a disease, that only a few decades back would have been a death sentence for some, is now giving them hope of being cured completely and living the life with more respect for it,” she added.
Prior to this, Dr Sinha has been a Consultant Pathologist in various institutions including Ranchi Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Ranchi; Cancer Institute (WIA), Adyar, Chennai; HCG Cancer Center, Vishakhapatnam; Indus hospital, Vishakhapatnam; Vijaya Diagnostic Centre, Vishakhapatnam; and Sir Gangaram Hospital, New Delhi. Furthermore, she said that she has been in the field for the past 10 years and also worked as a laboratory head at HCG Cancer Center, Vishakhapatnam and Ranchi Cancer Hospital and Research Center, Ranchi.
