National 7 (Spotlight Weekly)

Success Story

More than half the children with cancer have been cured in Nepal

By THAKUR AMGAI

Contrary to the popular belief that cancer is an incurable disease it has been found that up to 50 per cent of the children diagnosed with cancer have actually been cured.

According to Dr. Kailash Shah, consultant of the Pediatric Oncology at Kanti Children's Hospital, 40-50 per cent of the cases of pediatric cancer have been treated successfully since the establishment of a different unit of Oncology together with specialist Oncologist at the hospital.

Hospital services : Growing improvement

"Pediatric cancer is different from cancer in adults and the former is curable," said Dr. Shah recently in the inaugural program of the Nepal Society For Cancer Relief (NCRS). "The reason for child cancer is still unknown. But all practitioners agree that child cancer is not caused because of external factors as in adults. The reasons for cancer in children could be genetic and other internal changes. The changing environment, however, is believed to have some adverse effect."

Out of 323 cases diagnosed as cancer since 1998, about 150 cases have been fully treated. The most common of the pediatric cancers, Acute Lympghobatic Leukemia (ALL)-commonly known as blood cancer has the highest success rate, with seven in ten patients fully cured. Four in ten cancer patients are inflicted with ALL. Two-third of the patients with renal cancer have been treated.

"With quicker investigative facilities and diagnostic technologies the rate of cure has improved," said Dr. Shah. In developed countries with more sophisticated facilities, up to 90 per cent of the child cancer has been treated.

than 250 dollars, the cure, which costs at least Rs. 100,000 (1350 dollars), is beyond their capacity. The cost can go up to many hundred thousands depending upon the length of time required for the treatment. Kanti Children's Hospital gives a waiver in the check up, investigation and surgery. However, most of the child cancer is treated by chemotherapy- a treatment by injecting medicines to the patient. The injections that have to be imported are extremely costly.

Most of the child cancers are cured after chemotherapy of two to three years. The cost of medicine averages at Rs 100,000 per year. The cost can go up in complicated cases. The improved facilities in diagnosis and treatment of cancer are undoubtedly good news for parents.

Ramesh Nath Mainali is a teacher at a private school in Kathmandu. He found two years ago that his son, Aswin Mainali - then 4 years - was affected with cancer. In undergoing the treatment as referred by the doctors, he has already spent close to Rs 2 million over the last two years. The boy is still undergoing scrutiny by the doctors.

Even so, Aswin has been one of the lucky few to have received the treatment and another life. A majority of his counterparts virtually flee the hospital on hearing the cost of treatment. Dil Bahadur (not real name) is one such patient. He was diagnosed with blood cancer, but left the hospital without treatment after his parents could not afford the cost.

Over the years the awareness of cancer has increased but certainly not as much to satisfy Dr. Shah. People are slowly beginning to accept that cancer can be cured or at least controlled. "I knew cancer in children could be cured," said mother of Santosh Shah, another cancer patient from Sunsari. "I had seen a boy affected with cancer who got well after a treatment at Bharatpur Cancer Hospital." Santosh, who is undergoing treatment at the KCH, was referred from Bharatpur.

The hospital statistics shows that only 10 per cent of the patients have died because of cancer. The remaining patients who could not be cured, stop coming to the hospital for follow up. According to Dr. Shah, lack of awareness, financial problems and difficulty in transportation caused because of the frequent strikes are the chief reasons for patients not coming for the follow up.

Mainali who has undergone the difficulty faced by parents of children with cancer has formed a charity 'Cancer Foundation' to assist the needy parents for treatment of their children.