TREATING CANCER DURING COVID

 

 

Dr. Ram Kancherla was just about to celebrate his 20th year of treating cancer patients in the Mid-Hudson Valley, he began to embark on a new and unexpected journey with his patients, that he never could have anticipated–and one that was not worthy of celebration.

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic paralyzed our nation and the world, Hudson Valley Cancer Center, where Kancherla is the managing partner, did anything but stay still.

 

“We never stopped seeing patients, and our practice never closed its doors,” says Kancherla, who is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Medical Oncology.  He is proud of the fact that his physicians were seeing patients with cancer and blood disorders at local hospitals at the height of the pandemic.

 

“We were—and still are—committed to protecting our patients during this difficult time and to safely provide them with the life-saving treatments they need.”

Hudson Valley Cancer Center, with three locations in Poughkeepsie, Fishkill and Yorktown Heights, has remained primarily COVID-free since the onset of the pandemic and has had no interruption in chemotherapy, infusions or in other life-saving treatments.

Unfortunately, Oncologists say that as patients are returning to offices, they are now seeing an increase in new patients with more advanced cancer.

 

“Because of COVID, people put off their routine screenings, such as mammograms, colonoscopies, pap smears and even their annual physicals.  This has resulted in more patients with more advanced cancer–cancer that went undiagnosed could have been caught much earlier or prevented altogether.”

 

Kancherla is a strong advocate of the COVID-19 vaccine and says he almost always recommends it for all his patients—even though it is less effective in compromised individuals.  He points out that, with many patients, the vaccine should be strategically scheduled around any treatments they have planned.  He is also recommending the booster for all compromised patients.

 

Of course, the vaccine arrived too late for some, who succumbed to COVID before they were able to acquire an appointment.  Kancherla recalls one of his long-time patients, a gentleman in his mid-seventies with Multiple Myeloma. “He was a patient of mine for many years and was doing very well, but he just wasn’t able to get a vaccine in time, and he didn’t make it.  This is the tragic ending of the story for so many.”  Kancherla points out that there is some good news as the variant COVID cases decline and hospitalizations slowly come down as a result of the vaccine. For more information, visit HudsonValleyCancerCenter.com or call 845-454-1942. To acquire your COVID-19 vaccine in New York, visit ny.gov/vaccine or call the New York State COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-NYS-4-VAX.

Understanding Stem Cell Therapy

 Oncology is the medical branch focusing on cancer diagnosis and treatment. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the US. By 2022, the illness will average 1700 deaths daily, with almost two million new cases. However, these statistics reveal a 32 percent decline in death rates from 1991 to 2019. Timely diagnosis and a decline in smoking have driven down these numbers, but cancer remains a significant population health risk.

Cancer refers to the uncontrollable growth and spread of body cells. Each cell grows, matures, reproduces, and dies in a specific cycle. Sometimes, abnormal or damaged cells break down this cycle by growing and reproducing against expectations. Here, they form cancerous tumors that can spread and invade neighboring tissues.

Oncologists, or cancer specialists, are responsible for diagnosing, staging, and grading medical cases. Moreover, these specialists explain treatment options to their patients, deliver compassionate care, and help manage cancer symptoms. Their contributions enhance the effectiveness of cancer care teams in preparing patient treatment plans. These multidisciplinary teams comprise pathologists, nurses, radiologists, and social workers.

There are three primary fields of oncology, depending on the treatment they provide. These include medical, radiation, and surgical oncology. Medical oncology utilizes medication to treat cancer. Chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy are common medical cancer treatments.

Chemotherapy utilizes powerful medication to interrupt the cycle of damaged or abnormal cells. Using the bloodstream,this treatment option systematically mitigates these cells' growth, division, and reproduction. This means the powerful chemicals access healthy and unhealthy cells, resulting in side effects such as hair loss, nausea, fatigue, fever, and pain. Oncologists recommend standard, traditional, and cytotoxic chemotherapies to kill cancerous cells.

Targeted therapy utilizes medication to focus on cancerous cells' genes and proteins. These cells experience genetic mutation at the onset of cancer which alters their protein compounds. The genes instruct cells on how to produce protein to remain functional. The genetic mutation leads to rapid cell growth and tumor development. By focusing on the changes, targeted therapy can kill cancer cells, mitigate them from living longer than usual, or turn off their growth and division capacities.

Immunotherapy focuses on boosting patients' immune systems to locate and destroy cancer cells. Organs, cells, and proteins make up the body's immune system. Cancer can form around these defenses and inhibit their ability to mitigate the growth and spread of abnormal cells. Immunotherapy utilizes substances made by the body or in medical laboratories to slow down or prevent the spread of these cells. Non-specific immunotherapies, T-cell therapy, and cancer vaccines are popular types of immunotherapies in oncology.

Radiation oncology is another cancer treatment that utilizes radiation therapy to destroy abnormal or damaged cells. This plan uses high-energy x-rays or beams to destroy cancerous cells' DNA. Unlike chemotherapy, the treatment interrupts the cell cycle and focuses on local areas. This means that only cells in the areas of focus are destroyed. Radiotherapy may also affect surrounding tissues, but they heal after treatment stops.

The side effects of radiation oncology depend on the focus areas and the exposure length. Hair loss, fatigue, and skin irritation in treatment areas are common in this procedure, but they are controllable and treatable. External and internal radiotherapies are popular options for oncologists and their patients.

Besides, surgical oncology uses surgeries to remove tumors and tissues around affected areas. This procedure also prevents cancer in vulnerable body parts, verifies whether the patient has cancer through lab analyses, evaluates the severity of the illness, and eases the symptoms. Nausea, pain, constipation, and vomiting are the common side effects patients encounter after surgery. Surgical oncology treats cancer in various body parts, including the breast, throat, skin, lungs, pancreas, uterus, and bones.

SEF Performs Eye Surgeries

Residing in Poughkeepsie, New York, Ram Kancherla is a managing partner of the Hudson Valley Cancer Center, where he runs the oncology private practice and oversees the financial and administrative aspects. In his free time, Ram Kancherla also supports several charities, including the Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie and the Sankara Eye Foundation.

Formed as a nonprofit to help eradicate blindness in India, the Sankara Eye Foundation has a program called Vision 2030 which aims to perform one million eye surgeries annually through 2030, thanks to its partner hospitals in India and the USA. It has at least twelve chapters in the United States, while SEF, India, acts as the service arm for the funds raised in North America.

As of 2019, SEF, India has performed more than two million free eye surgeries for those in need. Along with funds received from its generous donors, its Sankara Eye Foundation, India sector can stay in operation due to its unique self-sufficiency model in which 80 percent of its patients get their eye treatment completely free, and 20 percent of its patients pay for their treatment over time.

Chemotherapy and Breast Cancer

A graduate of Rangaraya Medical College, Ram Kancherla, MD, has served as a managing partner at the Hudson Valley Cancer Center in Poughkeepsie, New York, since 2002. In this position, Ram Kancherla, MD, is responsible for overseeing all activities within the oncology private practice, including chemotherapy.

The effectiveness of chemotherapy as a treatment for breast cancer can vary for a number of reasons, including the specific type of cancer, location of the tumor, and at which stage of the disease treatment began. That said, decades of effective chemotherapy treatments have provided insight into chemotherapy’s role in successful treatments.

Approximately 38 percent of individuals with stage 1 or 2 breast cancer undergo chemotherapy, compared to 82 and 66 percent of stage 3 and 4 cases, respectively. When breast cancer is localized, the 5-year relative survival rate in individuals who receive chemotherapy is 99 percent. If the disease has become regionalized, relative survival rates remain strong but are lower at 85 percent.

Chemotherapy, along with other forms of treatment, is far less effective once the disease has progressed to another part of the body. In these cases, survival rates can fall as low as 6 percent.

Again, it must be stressed that these rates do not solely describe the effectiveness of chemotherapy as a treatment, but rather illustrate how often chemotherapy plays a role in a successful treatment regimen. In fact, studies suggest that many breast cancer patients can avoid chemotherapy, with 5- and 9-year disease-free survival rates improving only slightly for those who receive chemotherapy.

Of course, patients must work closely with their medical teams to determine whether or not chemotherapy could play an effective role as part of their personal treatment plan.