VS Hospitals launches a dedicated Centre for Geriatric Oncology

• First Integrated Geriatric Oncology Unit in South India
• The institute to function in collaboration with Senior Geriatrician Dr. V. S. Natarajan and Dr. V. S. Natarajan Geriatric Foundation.
• MOU signing between VS Group of Hospitals and Dr. V. S. Natarajan Geriatric Foundation.

Chennai, 29th May 2022: In a continued effort towards reaching greater heights in medical excellence, VS Hospitals today launched a dedicated Centre for Geriatric Oncology, South India’s first Integrated Geriatric Oncology Unit. Speaking at the event, Prof. Dr. S. Subramanian, Senior Medical Oncologist, Founder Chairman and Managing Director, VS Group of Hospitals said, “Cancer Incidence and mortality increases with age, with most cancer diagnosis occurring in patients aged 65 and above. 

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The Evaluation and development of treatment recommendations for an older adult with cancer is very challenging and in order the bridge the gap – First of its kind Geriatric Oncology centre at VS Hospital will function in collaboration with senior geriatrician Dr V S Natarajan. It is a one-stop centre for older adults diagnosed with cancer and provides a comprehensive range of medical services to support them.”

The Geriatric Oncology Centre was launched by Padmasri Prof. Dr. V. S. Natarajan in the presence of Freedom Fighter Shri. Lakshmi Kanthan Bharathi IAS (R) and Prof. Dr. S. Jagadesh Chandra Bose, HOD and Senior Consultant Surgical Oncologist, VS Hospitals. Also present at the launch event were Prof Dr. S. Subramanian, Prof. Dr. S. Sundar, Senior Consultant Joint Replacement & Tumour Surgeon and Medical Director, VS Group of Hospitals and Mr. Muthu Subramanian, Executive Director, VS Group of Hospitals.

Speaking on the launch Prof. Dr. S. Subramanian, said “Our Geriatric Oncology Centre is one of the first dedicated centres in India exclusively for geriatric cancer care set up with the mission to provide personalized care for older people who suffer from various forms of cancers. Our comprehensive geriatric assessment provides a detailed evaluation of medical, psychosocial, and functional problems in older patients with cancer. It can identify areas of vulnerability, predict toxicity and survival, assist in clinical decision-making, guide the development of individualized treatment plans, improve provider-patient communication and predict treatment completion.”

Speaking at the event, Prof. Dr. S. Jagadesh Chandra Bose said, “Cancer is the second and fourth leading cause of adult deaths in urban and rural India, respectively. Cancer survival rate in India is among the lowest in the world. The failure to get an early diagnosis is higher for several types of cancers in India. According to report of National Cancer Registry Programme 2020, India’s cancer cases could increase by 12 per cent in the next five years, with 1.5 million people projected to suffer from the non-communicable disease by 2025. Sedentary lifestyles, increase in urban pollution, in addition to rise in obesity, tobacco and alcohol consumption are the reasons behind the rise.”

Senior Geriatrician Dr. V. S. Natarajan said, “Managing an older patient with cancer can be challenging. These patients are often frail, have comorbidities, are on multiple medications, and may have social, economic, and psychological problems. Many times, older patients with cancer are not considered for a curative treatment approach, despite the tumour being amenable to radical treatment, just by virtue of their age. When these patients are treated with chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery, they may experience more toxicity and higher chance of morbidity and mortality. Many of the landmark clinical trials have excluded geriatric oncology patients, making evidence based management decisions in this patient population even more difficult”.

About VS Hospitals:

VS Group of Hospitals started as a mere 30 bedded nursing home in 2004 and has today transformed into  a 175 bedded tertiary care Senior Citizen Friendly hospital spread over three units in Chennai - a trusted healthcare provider for not only the people of Chennai but across the country and beyond. Founded by India’s senior most medical oncologist Dr. S. Subramanian, VS started off as one of the earliest providers of comprehensive cancer care in this part of the world. Over time, VS has extended its offerings to include Orthopaedics, Neurosciences, Medical and Surgical Gastroenterology, Hepato-Biliary, Bariatric Surgery, Minimally Invasive Laparoscopic Surgery, Urology (including Transplant services), Cosmetic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, General Surgery, Gynaecological Surgery, Emergency Care and Critical Care.

 

Built on the tenets of patient centricity, VS offers an integrated healthcare delivery system that provides a collaborative environment for highly skilled and continuously trained healthcare professionals to utilize state of the art infrastructure, technology and equipment to deliver affordable healthcare with utmost care and compassion. VS plays an active role in patient education, preventive healthcare and patient support programs. VS endeavours to make the world a happier, healthier place to live in. For more information visit www.vshospitals.com

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