Monday, January 30, 2017

Tata Memorial Hospital to launch app 'Virtual Tumour Board' to offer best available cancer treatment



Tata Memorial Hospital to launch app 'Virtual Tumour Board' to offer best available cancer treatment

The Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) will soon launch an app called 'Virtual Tumour Board', a multidisciplinary panel of cancer experts from across the country, to offer best available cancer treatment.

The Board is likely to be launched on January 29 by Union health minister JP Nadda at the closing day of TMH platinum jubilee celebrations in Mumbai. It provides hospitals free expert opinion from leading cancer specialists including TMH experts to plan treatment of cancer patients in an effective and timely manner, said Dr C Pramesh, professor and chief, thoracic surgery, Department of Surgical Oncology, TMH.

Dr Pramesh, delving further into functionality of the platform, said “Once a patient visits TMH seeking treatment, his/her case is referred to a group of doctors at TMH comprising oncology surgeon, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, radiologist, pathologist etc who examine the patient's reports and take final call on his/her treatment. It is not possible for a number of smaller cancer centres facing shortage of doctors to have a panel discussion on cancer cases and come up with best available treatment. The complex cancer cases further worsen the situation. With the Virtual Tumour Board becoming operational, hospitals can put case details on virtual live webcast which is attended by experts from the National Cancer Grid who immediately look into patient reports and offer best possible treatment.”

We are effectively recreating what we are doing as an expert group at TMH to centres which lack facilities to do that. The facility will be useful for all hospitals. It will save people from travelling long distance and spending money on local accommodation during cancer treatment at big hospitals, he concluded.

Around 18 months, TMH along with NGO Navya launched Navya app for cancer patients looking for second opinion on his/her treatment. The patients can upload medical reports including CT scan, MRI scan copies on Navya app. The reports extracted by trained personnel can be easily read by expert doctors who send back opinions in a timely manner. The turnaround time of entire process stands 24 hours. Those who cannot afford it, can get second opinion through the app for free.

With rise in number of patients seeking second opinion in treatment, the app has been transferred to National Cancer Grid. Navya app has received considerable response from cancer patients in small cities of the country specially north east regions, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, African countries, etc. So far 1,300 patients have benefited from the initiative. 70 doctors who are part of National Cancer Grid offer second opinion to cancer patients.


Regards

Pralhad Jadhav

Senior Manager @ Library
Khaitan & Co                                                                    


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