We Provide

Information and counseling on various cancers, their causes, underlying risk factors, life style, issues, prevention and early detection options, symptoms, latest diagnostics and treatments available, dealing with life after cancer and rehabilitation to organized groups (schools, offices, societies, homes, gyms, clubs etc) in urban and rural communities.

In their own words

Rekha Kamble

Survivor

Rakshanda Ansari

Survivor

Zia Chaney

Survivor

View Testimonials

 

Dr. Koppiker's live interview which was scheduled on December 10, 2019

 

  • Donors
    Desai Brothers Ltd
    BMC Software India Pvt. Ltd.
    Kailash Vahan Udyog Ltd
    Smt. Sitadevi Taparia Charitable Trust
    Shri Mumbai Patidar Samaj
    Mrs. Sunita & Mr. Rajesh Uttamchandani

Copyright © 2015 Prashanti Cancer Care Mission. All rights reserved.
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Advisory for the patients during the deadly COVID-19 situation

General instructions

  1. Avoid getting out of the house unless extremely necessary.
  2. Patients with respiratory ailments and elders above 60 yrs. are discouraged from going to markets.
  3. Elders and patients should use online ordering and delivery services for stocking up.
  4. For individuals stepping out of the house, use masks. Make sure you wash your hands with soap immediately after you come back.
  5. Always carry a handkerchief when you go out and use one when you cough or sneeze at any point.
  6. Avoid touching surfaces and materials when you are out. Use sanitisers wherever possible.
  7. For individuals visiting markets for grocery picking, wipe the cart when you go and make sure you spend minimum time in the market.
  8. Plan before you go shopping and make sure you get a stock for 2 weeks so that you do not travel frequently.
  9. Try and keep the shopping bags out of the house for some time before you get everything in the house.
  10. Use a standard disinfectant spray to clean the surface at home.
  11. Discard the cardboards, plastics and cloth bags wherever possible and store the material in containers.
  12. In case the packaging has to be kept intact, make sure to clean it with the disinfectant
  13. Wash the fruits and vegetables in soap water and then normal water as soon as you get them home
  14. Avoid ordering food from restaurants and fast food outlets. In case you order, heat the food before consumption.
  15. Clean the food items or packets before freezing them
  16. Please avoid crowded areas including waiting areas in clinics, restaurants, public transport facilities etc. which may expose you to higher chance of infection with COVID-19, as much as possible.
  17. In case you develop symptoms suggestive of possible COVID-19 infection, such as fever, sore throat, cough or breathing difficulty, report to your treating doctor as well as local government health authorities. You can find local COVIID-19 testing centres near you at https://wwww.icmr.nic.in/content/covid-19.
  18. These are temporary but potentially lifesaving measures that you are strongly advised to follow until the COVID-19 outbreak is controlled.

Breast Cancer Management: General Instructions

  1. Discontinue all mammography screening. Patients diagnosed with only DCIS should be regarded low priority for surgery
  2. Breast MRI should be avoided where possible in view of the known risk of increased interventions and hospital visits.
  3. For patients suitable for breast conservation, and in patients who are considering mastectomy in order to avoid EBRT, intra-operative radiotherapy (TARGIT-IORT) could be considered where available. EBRT over 5 days could be considered as published evidence unfolds.
  4. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy should not be recommended unless tumours are inoperable AND ER negative.
  5. Delayed reconstruction should be offered as the first option with immediate implant reconstruction, only considered in selected patients, subject to local theatre capacity and low complication rate. Prolonged autologous reconstruction should not be offered.
  6. When surgical capacity is compromised, primary systemic therapy for ER positive or HER2 positive cases, with surgery reserved only for triple negative cases may have to be resorted to.
  7. The challenges of treating chemotherapy-related complications in coming months should be taken into consideration by multidisciplinary teams/ tumour boards whilst balancing the relative benefits from chemotherapy. Extending gene-expression analysis to include node positive patients may help in this regard. For safety with any chemotherapy, growth factors should be considered to minimise the risk of neutropenic sepsis. With rising incidence, adjuvant chemotherapy may need to be completely avoided or discontinued.
  8. Patients should be encouraged to accept remote consultations, as much as possible. Encourage prospective cohort studies about remote consultations.
  9. All follow ups (and follow up imaging) should be stopped unless patients have specific breast symptoms or are at high risk of relapse.
  10. Genetic testing and risk-reducing surgery should be deferred for 3-6 months, unless it has direct immediate impact on management of known cancer.

PCCM Clinical Operations

OPD instructions

  1. OPD will be open for a day during the week only for emergencies (such as post-surgery dressings, newly found lump, biopsies etc).
  2. OPD will operate strictly on appointment basis. The appointments will be staggered and overcrowding will not be encouraged.
  3. Patients coming in for an OPD consultation should wear mask and will be screened/checked before entering the clinic for any COVID like symptoms.
  4. Not more than one relative will be allowed to accompany the patient.

Chemotherapy Instructions

  1. Emergency chemotherapies will be identified and completed in the day care.
  2. Patients on chemotherapy are at a higher risk to contract infections including COVID-19. They are also at a higher risk of complications due to such infections. This is because their immunity is suppressed compared to normal individuals.
  3. Elderly patients, and those with haematological malignancies or who are post bone-marrow transplant are likely to be at highest risk.
  4. Please consider delaying palliative chemotherapy in consultation with your oncologist. You need to balance the risk of getting infection with CO VID-19versus risk of cancer progression if you decide to continue/stop/delay chemotherapy.
  5. Curative intent chemotherapy may be continued or deferred based on the balance between the possible benefit from continued chemotherapy versus possible harm due to risk of getting infected. Please discuss this with your oncologist, preferably through a remote method like email, etc.
  6. Should you decide to continue with your planned chemotherapy, it means that you have understood the risks involved in undergoing chemotherapy under the current COVID-19 outbreak situation.
  7. Please postpone non-urgent appointment with your oncologist or other physicians. Consider using telephone, email, WhatsApp or similar means where possible.
  8. For patients on immunotherapy, targeted therapies, anti-angiogenic therapies, and maintenance therapy, the decision to stop or continue will have to be taken on a case-to-case basis in consultation with the treating physician.
  9. Some investigations like pulmonary function testing, bronchoscopy, endoscopy, dental evaluation, etc. may confer a higher risk of exposure to patients and healthcare workers, and these would have to be used judiciously after weighing the risk/benefit ratio carefully.

Surgery Instructions

1. Patients with minor ailments are advised to have a telephonic or video consultation with the clinician.
2. All patients needing elective (non-emergency) surgeries should be postponed (Patients on NAHT or Chemotherapy patients)
3. The doctors should be equipped with masks, double gloves, disposable gowns and goggles to ensure the safety of doctors and patients.


Radiology/Imaging

  1. Mammography to be deferred as far as possible
  2. For USG, patients need to be wearing masks and basic PPE to be worn by the performing doctor.
  3. Biopsy to be deferred by another week if possible
  4. PPE to be worn by doctor performing procedure/ biopsy
  5. USG machine keyboard, mouse, probe, probe tubing to be cleaned before and after every patient ( Pure Hand Sanitizer, Bacillocid liquid)
  6. To clean all high touch surfaces e.g. door knobs, table tops, keyboards and mouse in reporting room etc repeatedly.
  7. To air rooms adequately prior to patient consult
  8. Fresh disposable bed spreads for each patient
  9. Non-emergency imaging to be deferred e.g. fibroids, non-specific pain

Diet and Exercise Instructions

  1. Eat to Boost Your Immunity.
    All of us need to eat to boost our immunity. You need a nutrient-dense balanced diet of protein, fruits and vegetables, whole grains and some fats to function optimally. It may be tempting to eat namkeen, sweets, and processed foods but these foods will bring down your immunity. Eating them occasionally is okay but do not include them in your diet on a regular basis.
    This is what your thali should include:
    Vegetables — Your daily thali needs to consist of plenty of vegetables, both cooked and raw (don't eat raw if you are undergoing chemo or radiation). The thali should be almost 50% veggies! This is your immune system's first line of defense. Eat a variety of colourful veggies and fruits, especially green leafy ones. Most Maharashtrian thalis have too many carbs and not enough of the other nutrients. Fruits should be your go-to snack and part of your breakfast.
    Protein: The thali should have a generous portion, 2 katoris, of dal and pulses if you are vegetarian. Non-vegetarians — right now getting fresh meat and fish may not be possible and it is safer to stick to a plant based diet. Even if you do eat meat, it should not be a small portion of your thali.
    Grains: Avoid processed grains, mainly maida based foods. Eat rotis— whole wheat, jowar and bajra and rice, preferably brown. This should be about 25% of your thali. Bread should not be a regular part of your diet, once in a while is okay.
    Dairy and non-dairy products. Milk is not advisable for cancer patients; it does not seem to agree with the digestive system. Dahi, on the other hand, is an excellent source of probiotics, protein and calcium. Include one katori of dahi or one glass of buttermilk in your meals.
    Keep healthy snacks on hand. Nuts, seeds, and fruits are best. If you run out of fresh fruit, use dried fruit.
  2. Stock your Kitchen
    How much do you need for an emergency and how much is needed since everyone is working and studying from home? Previously only staples such as wheat and rice were stored but now it is advisable to stock everything for at least 2 weeks.
    Buy lots of vegetables. If you are worried about it going bad, then cook them and freeze the sabji to eat in a few days. Buy a mix of vegetables, some that have to be used quickly and some like squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes that stay longer. Buy plenty of pulses and substitute them for veggies if you fall short. Do not go frequently to buy your groceries. If you are out of lime or tomatoes, find substitutes.
  3. Hydrate
    Drink plenty of fluids. The advice from WHO for Covid-19 is to drink warm fluids often. Avoid drinking cold water.
  4. Exercise
    You don't need a strenuous fitness regime. Just stay active. Do not sit for long periods of time. Our bodies are meant to be moving. Walking and gentle yoga are perfect. If walking outside is not possible, then just stroll around the house.
  5. Manage Stress
    Right now, everyone is stressed -uncertainty about the future, being in the house, worried about loved ones and wondering how you will be able to go to see your doctor for treatment or follow up. A few things you can do to manage your stress are:
    ▪ Meditate
    ▪ Do pranayama
    ▪ Start a hobby or rekindle an old one
    ▪ Communicate with friends and family

Alternate Medicine

Homeopathy
Preventive & curative Homoeopathic remedy suggested for coronavirus infection is Camphor. The recommended dosage is as follows:
Prophylaxis- Camphor 1M 4 pills twice daily for 2 days. Keep under tongue until dissolved. Nothing but water 30mins before and after taking medicine.
Mild infection- Camphor 1M 8 pills in 100ml water. Take 1 tablespoon 6 hourly for days until symptoms largely subside. Nothing but water 30mins before and after taking medicine.
Severe infection- Camphor 10M 8 pills in 100ml water. Take 1 tablespoon 6 hourly for days until symptoms largely subside. Nothing but water 30mins before and after taking medicine.
Best option would be to consult an Alternative medicine practitioner and avoid self-medication.

Ayurveda Treatment - Recommended Measures

I General Measures

  1. Drink warm water throughout the day.
  2. Daily practice of Yogasana, Pranayama and meditation for at least 30 minutes as advised by Ministry of AYUSH (#YOGAatHome #StayHome #StaySafe)
  3. Spices like Haldi (Turmeric), Jeera (Cumin), Dhaniya (Coriander) and Lahsun (Garlic) are recommended in cooking.

II Ayurvedic Immunity Promoting Measures

  1. Take Chyavanprash 10gm (1tsf) in the morning. Diabetics should take sugar free Chyavanprash.
  2. Drink herbal tea / decoction (Kadha) made from Tulsi (Basil), Dalchini (Cinnamon), Kalimirch (Black pepper), Shunthi (Dry Ginger) and Manukka (Raisin) - once or twice a day. Add jaggery (natural sugar) and / or fresh lemon juice to your taste, if needed.
  3. Golden Milk- Half tea spoon Haldi (turmeric) powder in 150 ml hot milk - once or twice a day.

III Simple Ayurvedic Procedures

  1. Nasal application - Apply sesame oil / coconut oil or Ghee in both the nostrils (Pratimarsh Nasya) in morning and evening.
  2. Oil pulling therapy- Take 1 table spoon sesame or coconut oil in mouth. Do not drink, Swish in the mouth for 2 to 3 minutes and spit it off followed by warm water rinse. This can be done once or twice a day.

IV During dry cough / sore throat

  1. Steam inhalation with fresh Pudina (Mint) leaves or Ajwain (Caraway seeds) can be practiced once in a day.
  2. Lavang (Clove) powder mixed with natural sugar / honey can be taken 2-3 times a day in case of cough or throat irritation.
  3. These measures generally treat normal dry cough and sore throat. However, it is best to consult doctors if these symptoms persist.

*The above measures can be followed to the extent possible as per an individual's convenience.