“Fight the fight, find the cure”
Cancer is an alarming disease. It evolves constantly and spreads relentlessly. It’s hard to catch and even harder to treat. But that is about to change, with Precision Oncology. Velammal Hospital’s unique approach to diagnosing, treating and monitoring cancer that is as precise as it can get. The hospital is situated in Madurai. The hospital has the latest state-of-the-art technology, with 84 bedded oncology wards under one roof. Patients have access to all the latest cancer therapy, research, and technology. The team comprises experienced and effective doctors, nurses, paramedics, technicians, and other support staff.
We aim to take the fight against cancer to the next frontier and redefine clinical benchmarks and outcomes. Velammal Hospital brings together the brightest minds in surgical, medical & radiation oncology, along with a complete range of high-end ancillary experts. For patients, we stand for hope and the resolute truth that cancer is conquerable! Cancer care requires commitment, expertise, and an indomitable spirit. It also demands innovation and a fresh way of thinking. At Velammal Hospital we believe we can help foster and nurture ideas that will trigger the next wave of brilliance in cancer care. Initiatives like the Cancer Support Group back our vision with action; recharge our agenda with collaborative brilliance. Together I believe we have what it takes to fulfill our commitment and make Cancer Conquerable. Here’s to a brighter future. Our Mission is to control cancer in Madurai, India and the world over. To meet this mission, we engage in a broad range of basic research and outstanding programs that integrate patient care, research, and prevention of cancer that involves education for undergraduate and graduate students, trainees, professionals, employees, and the public. By our words and actions, at our department, we create a caring environment for everyone, promote and reward teamwork and encourage learning, creativity and new ideas.
Medical Oncology:
We aspire to be one of the best Medical Oncology Division in the nation, based on the excellence of our teamwork, our research-driven patient care, and our science. The fight against cancer has seen quite a few points of inflection and has traversed significant changes in the mindset. Once cancer was a near-invincible adversary, and today cancer care is practiced with one inherent premise – cancer is conquerable! Our battle, at Velammal Hospital, has seen several milestones too and we stand on the cusp of a very major one. Velammal Hospital has pioneered several game-changing developments and has set benchmarks in clinical and service excellence in cancer care. Cutting edge medical technology, stringent quality protocols, and deep empathy have been the hallmarks of our cancer program.
The Velammal Hospital offers the latest chemotherapeutic treatments, including sophisticated medications that target specific cancer cells and spare the normal ones. Pre-medications to control and offset side-effects enable our patients to complete their treatment cycles without the dreaded side-effects. In medical oncology, our specialists treat cancers with medication. Chemotherapy, along with radiation and/or surgery, can destroy the disease in the early stages of cancer. In the advanced stages, it improves the quality of the patient’s life. In blood-related cancers, such as lymphomas and leukemia, and germ-cell cancers, chemotherapy often plays a curative role. Today, there are several chemotherapeutic treatments available that root out the disease completely without harming the patient’s normal cells. Some drugs are available in oral form, thus eliminating the need for prolonged intravenous infusions and hospital stays. These newer medications are safer and less toxic than previously and are, therefore, better tolerated by the patient’s system.Medical Oncology Division is responsible for the diagnosis and management of hematological and lymph reticular malignancies, sarcomas and other solid tumors where intensive chemotherapy is indicated.
Services Offered:
- Daycare chemotherapy administration
- Ambulatory chemotherapy through pumps
- Continuous infusion pump chemotherapy administration
- Neutropenia care
- Intensive cancer care
- Chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy
- Targeted Therapy
- Immunotherapy
- A specialized procedure like bone marrow aspiration and biopsy
- Long term venous access devices and implantable ports
Personalized Chemotherapy:
Taking a shift from the regular procedures of giving chemotherapy and general drug treatment to any cancer patient, the high-end therapeutic method is the next level of treating cancer with more personalized drugs. With the help of various investigations, this trend of high-end therapeutics that includes various diagnostic tests, and profiling, indicate as to whether a particular drug will be beneficial in treating cancer for a patient and how the body of the particular patient will respond when that drug is administered. This kind of treatment is more focused and personalized and is more valuable in combating cancer and helping the patient to conquer it more effectively and efficiently.
Managing Side Effects:
Chemotherapeutic drugs kill cancer cells. However, they often do not discriminate between the cancer cells and the normal cells of the body, such as hair, skin, epithelium and blood cells, leading to effects such as hair loss, skin changes, gastrointestinal problems, anemia, and immune-dysfunction. It was often said of chemotherapy that the treatment is worse than the disease. At Velammal Hospital, our specialists aim to anticipate and manage these side-effects with pre-medications. Our trained and empathetic nurses use their expertise and the latest chemo-delivery devices to make treatment easier. This helps patients complete their planned drug-cycles with minimal discomfort. It takes a team to fight cancer. Doctors, nurses, counselors, nutritionists, physiotherapists, lab-personnel, radiologists, technicians, researchers, engineers, and scientists. At the Velammal Hospital, we know what it takes to beat cancer. And we believe in cancer care that does not give up.
Targeted Therapy:
Targeted therapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs and is completely different from traditional chemotherapy. The modality known as targeted therapy helps in stopping cancer from growing and spreading to other organs. They work in a pattern of targeting specific genes or proteins. These genes and proteins are found in cancer cells or in other cells which could be related to cancer growth, like blood vessel cells.
Immunotherapy:
Immunotherapy is a breakthrough innovation in Cancer Care. Immunotherapy is the process of activating the immune cells to fight against cancer cells it is a personalized treatment which intends to enhance the body’s defense mechanism to combat and destroy cancer cells. Immunotherapy uses the cells made by the patient’s own body, or treatments made in a laboratory to improve or restore immune system function. The reprogramming of the immune system in a patient’s body is done through three ways, personalized to the specific cancer condition, namely – Drug therapy, dendritic cell therapy, and Cancer Vaccines. In the first type, the drugs induced boost the antibodies to destroy cancer cells. Dendritic cell therapy involves the usage of T-cells, the cells which fight infection, are removed from the blood, later modified in the laboratory and injected to the patient’s body to treat cancer cells. Cancer vaccines when injected, triggers the immune system to recognize and destroy that antigen or related materials, thus killing the cancer cells and put an end to their progress.
Hormonal Therapy:
Some cancers use hormones to grow or develop, which means the cancer is hormone-sensitive or hormone-dependent. Hormone therapy for cancer uses medicines to block or reduce the number of hormones in the body to stop or slow down the growth of cancer. Hormone therapy stops hormones from being developed or prevents hormones from making cancer cells grow and divide. Cancers that can be hormone-sensitive include
At Velammal Hospital , our care for the patients goes beyond diagnosis and treatment as we ensure that we provide our patients with a full continuum of healthcare services, which comprises of offerings important for a faster and healthy recovery cycle.
Molecular Profiling:
The Oncology specialists at Velammal HospitalI conduct Molecular Profiling and Genetic Profiling using high-end therapeutic techniques. Under Molecular Profiling, the cancer tissue sample collected for biopsy or the patient’s blood sample undergoes molecular biology tests that predict the patient’s chance of responding to cancer drugs when administered for treatment. Accordingly, the treatment is customized to the needs of the patient.
GENETIC PROFILING:
In Genetic Profiling, the gene mutation of the cancerous cells is checked to predict whether the patient can respond to a particular drug or not. The genes of the patient will help in judging the effectiveness of a method of appropriate cancer treatment.
We use this protocol to treat the various types of cancers such as:
Current Facilities And Infrastructure Capabilities
Daycare And In-patient Services
Chemotherapy Wards:
We understand that undergoing chemotherapy is not easy for a patient, given its side effects. Chemotherapy is administered at dedicated short stay Chemotherapy wards with strict protocols of infection control and a warm and cheery ambiance, as well as specially trained nursing staff.
Day Care Chemotherapy Facility:
It has a busy daycare service where around 50 -60 patients are managed per day. The center is well equipped with Specially Trained Doctors and Nurses with a Centralized Biosafety Cabinet for Safe mixing and delivery of Chemotherapy. Patients are admitted in the regular wards also; more than 500 patients get chemotherapy on an outpatient basis and OPD based procedures are carried out 6 times a week. Medical Oncology has been actively working to increase cancer awareness in the communities. Medical oncology faculty has been participating in many Continuing education programs, workshops, symposia conducted across the country on various topics regularly over the last several years including hemato-oncology, cancer screening, and awareness, lung cancer, cancer team management, colorectal cancers, hematopoietic stem cell transplants, etc.
Hemato-oncology:
Hemato-oncology: The diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of blood diseases (hematology) and cancer (oncology) and research into them. Hemato-Oncology includes such diseases as iron deficiency anemia, hemophilia, and sickle cell disease, thalassemias, leukemias and lymphomas, as well as cancers of other organs.
Hematological Malignancies:
Comprehensive, integrated service for diagnosis and treatment of hematological malignancies: diagnosis, prognosis, risk stratification and treatment of various hematological malignancies like Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Hodgkin lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), Multiple myeloma, Plasma Cell Dyspraxia, Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Myeloproliferative Neoplasm (MPN), Essential Thrombocythemia, Polycythemia, and MPN/MDS.Diagnosis and management of Primary Immunodeficiency Disorder like Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, Common Variable Immunodeficiency, Hyper-IgM syndrome, HLH, Chronic Granulomatous disease, etc.
Comprehensive Treatment Plan :
At the Velammal Hospital , we favor a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care. To treat the disease completely, whilst also minimizing trauma during treatment, we formulate a customized treatment plan for every patient, which combines the latest procedures and specialized treatments on a case-to-case basis. There are three primary treatment modalities for cancer: chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. The most effective course is determined by our Tumor Board, which is comprised of specialists from the three treatment modes – medicine, surgery, and radiation – as well as specialists from gastroenterology, orthopedics, neurosurgery, cosmetic surgery, interventional radiology, etc. Armed with detailed diagnostic information about each patient’s case, the Tumor Board meets once a week to formulate a comprehensive treatment plan for every patient and keep tabs on them as treatment progresses. The Institute is supported by a dedicated team of nurses, nutritionists and counselors, who help patients, complete their treatment as planned.
The best minds on every case :
In the care and cure of cancer, Velammal Hospital favors an approach that draws on the expertise of our specialists from all departments. A Tumor Board, comprising oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, reconstructive surgeons, and other specialists, discusses every case and formulates a treatment course that is conservative, sensitive and most suitable for the individual patient. This means that patients benefit from a comprehensive treatment plan and can receive all their treatments, from diagnosis to cure, at the Centre.
Counseling:
Psycho-Oncology:
Velammal Hospital very sensitive to your emotional needs and extends a helping hand through the Centre of Psycho-Oncology for education and research. Psycho-Oncology is the sub-specialty of oncology that addresses emotional issues and concerns of individuals and their families touched by cancer. Our Psycho-Oncology team is a group of specialists trained in mental health counseling and includes psychologists and psychiatrists, who specialize in cancer care, rehabilitation nurses, and social workers. This team is competent in dealing with adults as well as children.
Diet:
A healthy diet is the cornerstone of good health and such dietary practices help in improving general health. It is important to understand that making wise changes in the diet plan can help in improving health. Having proper knowledge about which food to take, and which to limit or ignore, is the first step towards good health.
Genetics:
The traditional paradigm of tumor profiling for single gene mutation in cancer involves multiple tests, each targeting a single gene and revealing only a portion of what is happening within the tumor, and can lead to a “one size fits all” view of possible therapies. This is effective in some cases but can lead to increased costs and a longer time to get the answer. This strategy is successful when it leads to innovation and improves the standard of care, but fails when it becomes trial and error.
Future Plans And Vision:
Over three years of existence of Medical Oncology, our department has delivered scientific advances and improved outcomes for patients, significantly increasing cancer survival and quality of life. Today’s management ethos is multimodality interaction and patient care. The multi-disciplinary treatment has been an integral part of the Velammal HospitalI and is an essential component of any state of the art Cancer centers. However, the forces that fueled this progress are not the same as those that will shape the future we are on the verge of a new age of cancer care, in which emerging scientific, technical and economic trends are likely to alter our work more significantly in the next 10 years than in the prior 40.
Cancer Support Group:
The Cancer Support Group plays a significant role in providing moral support, encouragement and building confidence in cancer patients undergoing treatment. Cancer Support Group is involved with corporate in conducting several awareness drive programs across the country and in several community development programs giving the cancer survivors a forum to come out in the open and share their experience and lead a new, normal life. Cancer Patient Support Group cordially invites you to the awareness campaign sessions scheduled every month. These sessions are open to all and free of cost. So come, join us, to find out all that you always wanted to know about cancer and its treatment, which is revolutionizing not only the rate of survival but also the quality of life. Eminent oncologists will share their thoughts and answer all queries. Survivors will talk to you about their experiences in fighting the big C.
We are conducting CME every year in the name of VIEWS. The department is all set to conduct ISA Sponsorship in 2020