‘Never Give Up’ campaign against cancer launched

KOCHI: With the aim of reaching out to all sections of society, Medical Trust Hospital on Saturday launched a ‘Never Give Up’ campaign against cancer at the Ernakulam Press Club. Actor Aditi Ravi inaugurated the campaign and its logo. According to the doctors, early detection can help cure 80 per cent of the cancer cases. 

“70 per cent of  cancer patients that we come across at the hospital are at an  advanced stage. Therefore, it requires a series of treatments to cure them. If they had arrived when the cancer was still at the early stage, surgery could have cured them. Basically it’s the fear of cancer that makes  patients weak. It is this fear we are trying to address through this campaign,” said Dr Varun Roy, medical oncologist at the Medical Trust Hospital. 

The campaign will help spread awareness. “Our sessions start from Monday and the main focus will be prevention, fight, and surviving cancer. It will be a one-year programme,” said Dr Roy.   Dr Surij Sally, oncology surgeon at the Medical Trust Hospital, said  medical science has developed over the years and now keyhole surgeries can also be performed on cancer patients. “A lot of fake news about cancer is circulating on online platforms and people tend to fear cancer by reading them. At the early stage, a woman detected with a lump on her breast can have it easily removed through surgery. But if she ignores it then treatment becomes difficult. But cancer is definitely curable,” said Dr Surij.