The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

BODY & MIND
Global meet on the curse of cancer
Tripti Nath

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), known for oncology research, education and treatment, is holding the International Conference on Cancer at the Taj Palace hotel here. The three-day ASCO-PAN ASIA conference (A-PACC) begins here today. It was preceded by a workshop on research methods in clinical oncology by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).

About 700 oncologists and physicians from all over the world including Australia, Indonesia, France, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and West Asia are expected to participate.

Dr Rakesh Chopra, conference co-chairman and Consultant Oncologist at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital said that the conference would also focus on the common cancers encountered in the Asian continent, the latest remedial methodology of clinical trials and how best they could be used to give answers to other parts of the world.

He said that although the Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR)figures put the number of cancer patients at 20 lakh at any given point of time, the actual incidence might be manifold.

Prominent among those attending the conference are Dr Manjit Singh Bains, Cancer Surgeon (lung and food pipe), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York; Dr Fernando Cabanillas from MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, Texas, an expert in lymphomas; Dr Fewa Singh Legha, an expert in treatment of solid tumours, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas; Dr G.K. Rath, a radiotherapist from Rotary Cancer Centre; Dr Doval from Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute; Dr Sultan Pradhan, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai and a team of 13 doctors headed by Dr Karwasra, Cancer Surgeon from Regional Cancer Centre, Rohtak.

In the opinion of Dr Chopra, Cancer in developing countries is a growing problem and poses a major challenge to the physicians. “A multi-disciplinary approach is important for the treatment of patients with advanced cancers. The conference will be of immense help and interest to oncologists in Asia Pacific,” he said. ASCO (estd 1964), headquartered in Virginia, has about 15,000 members from more than 75 countries.

Rational blood use

The Director of the Delhi State Blood Transfusion Council, Dr Bharat Singh has strongly recommended the use of component segregation technologies in preference to collection and transfusion of whole blood to ensure safety and rational use of blood.

At a recent presentation at India International Centre here, Dr Singh said that unsafe blood and inadequate blood components remain a major concern in managing blood requirements in India. He said that blood component segregation technologies have ensured rational use of blood in western countries. “We need to take a re-look at the current blood collection and transfusion mechanisms in our country. Given the increasing risk of blood-borne infections, such technologies will minimise dependence on several donors and result in prudent component collection and transfusion,” Dr Singh said.

Outlining the benefits of the component segregation technologies for patients, Dr Singh said that it facilitates autologous (for one’s own use) donation of blood components, reduces patient dependence on blood donated by relatives, friends and strangers and reduces chances of patient exposure to infection from donated blood. The key benefit to blood banks and hospitals is reduction in the wastage of blood components by collecting only those components required by the patient.

Explaining the automatic blood component segregation technology, Dr Singh said that the aspheresis system allows collection of therapeutically useful quantities of components such as platelets from a single donor instead of pooled or random donor platelets. Blood flows through a disposable, single-use plastic tubing set and is processed in a spinning centrifuge bowl (chamber) where the specific blood components meant for collection are separated from other components. The component or components to be collected can be platelets, plasma, red blood cells or a combination of these three components.

Magic Remedies

The government proposes to amend the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Rules, 1955, to include AIDS. The Act and Rules made thereunder, provide that no person shall take part in the publication of any advertisement referring to any drug which suggests or is calculated to lead to the use of the drug for diagnosis, cure, treatment or prevention of any disease or disorder or condition specified in Schedule.

‘AIDS’, being a disease of recent origin, was not mentioned in the existing Schedule. Even though extensive

research is being carried out to find a cure for this deadly disease all over the world, the treatment is still elusive. In recent past, however, various advertisements in newspapers claim to cure the disease. It has been proposed to include AIDS in the Schedule to the DMR (OA) Rules, 1955 which would prohibit misleading advertisements on cure of AIDS, and help regulatory authorities take action for any violation of the provision. Objections and suggestions to the proposed amendments can be addressed to the Secretary (Health), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare here.

Doll ad

Procter & Gamble has recently launched ‘Doll’ advertising for Vicks VapoRub. The new ad, targeted at mothers, highlights the benefits of applying Vicks VapoRub instead of consuming cough and cold syrups.

According to Lata Chopra, Senior scientist, Personal Health Care Product Development, P&G, “The three key ingredients of Vicks VapoRub, pudina, camphor and eucalyptus oil have strong medicinal/ therapeutic properties. Pudina (menthol) opens a blocked nose, kapur (camphor) acts as a mild analgesic to soothe body aches and nilgiri (eucalyptus oil) calms cough.”

SPORTS

Hindustan, IAF sail to victory in DSA League
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, February 23
Hindustan Club beat former league champions Nivia-Mughals 2-0 while Indian Air Force (IAF), New Delhi scraped past Shahdara Club 1-0 in Group A Super League matches of the Delhi Soccer Association (DSA)-SAIL Senior Division Football League Championship at the Ambedkar Stadium in the Capital on Saturday.

In the first match, Hindustan scored both the goals in the second half to take full points off Mughals Club. The Mughals’ defenders, Asim Ali Khan, Inderjit Sharma and Manish Kumar, bravely fought off the onslaughts of the formidable Hindustan Club forwards in the first half to keep their goal from falling as the session ended goalless.

But Hindustan proved their superior class on resumption when inside-left Hitender Singh Rawat opened the account in the 60th minute (1-0) while Kulne made it 2-0 in the 70th minute. This was Hindustan’s third straight victory, and they are now sitting pretty on nine points while Mughals have logged only four points from three matches.

In the second match, after a barren first half, IAF scored the match winner through inside-right Priya Darshan in the 46th minute. IAF’s Kalyan Pal and Ibadut Hussain were booked with the yellow card by referee S. Saha for rough play.

Sunday’s fixtures: Indian Nationals vs Garhwal Heroes (11 am); City Club vs Moonlight (1 pm); Tarun Sangha vs Frontiers (3 pm)—Ambedkar Stadium

Mukesh Kumar wins Noida Golf title
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, February 23
Mukesh Kumar, locked in a see-saw battle with Feroz Ali in windy conditions, got the better of the latter in a thrilling play-off to annex his fifth title of the season at the Rs six lakh Padampat Singhania Open at the Noida Golf Course on Saturday.

The play-off took place after both Mukesh and overnight leader Feroz Ali were tied at the four-day tournament aggregate of six-under 282 apiece. Mukesh, who returned a final round scored of level par 72, took home the winner’s cheque of Rs 97,000.

Veteran Delhi player Rohtas Singh finished third at one-over 289 while Lucknow’s Sanjay Kumar was fourth at four-over 292. Feroz’s younger sibling, Rafiq Ali, tied for the fifth poistion with Chandigarh’s Amritinder Singh at 293. Zai Kipgen and rookie Ashok Kumar settled for a tied-eighth finish at 294. Last year’s winner SSP Chowrasia ended up at tied 16th, after tallying 298.

The victory has enabled Mukesh Kumar to widen his lead against Feroz Ali in the race for the Rs 10-lakh Mahindra Champion Golfer of the Year title.

The play-off began with Mukesh dissecting the Noida Course’s par-5 first hole and his three-wood tee shot. Feroz’s driver saw the wind place his ball in a corner of the bunker on the second fairway. Playing it safe back onto the first fairway with a six-iron, Feroz then went on to chip his lob wedge a shade too hard to find himself 20-feet beyond the pin. His birdie putt missed the hole by an inch and Mukesh on the green with his second shot, two-putted to birdie the hole and wrap up the title.

Simarjeet Singh played superbly to win the amateur title. Simarjeet’s final round score of level-par 72 contributed to a winning tally of six-over 294.

Chandra to feature on ESPN Star Sports
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, February 23
India’s ‘mystery’ leg-spin bowler Bhagwat Subramanya Chandrasekhar will appear on Harsha Online, the interactive one-hour programme to be telecast by ESPN Star Sports on Monday, February 25, at 10.30 pm.

Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, popularly known as Chandra, was unique in style, and in his own era, in achievement too. No other leg-spinner was so consistently a match-winner in an age when the art was gradually becoming almost extinct.

Chandra gave Indian cricket some of its finest hours, notably, when he bowled his country to their first Test wins, both in England and Australia. In 1971, at The Oval in England, he took six wickets for 38 runs in England’s second innings, bowling them out for 101. And, in 1978, at Melbourne, he took 12 for 104 to give India one of their most memorable wins over Australia. Chandra could always be trusted to bowl an unplayable ball.

His venom came from the extra-ordinary speed with which he turned his arm over and bowled the puzzling googlies and top-spinners. His right-arm was withered with polio at the age of five but he turned the handicap into an advantage, leaving batsmen all over the world exasperated with his unorthodox style, and became an inevitable and invaluable member of the famous Indian spin quartet, along with Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivas Venkataraghavan.

To interact with Chandra, crickets fans have to just dial 9628-400-400.

Condolence meet

The cricket fraternity mourned the death of secretary of the Universal Club S.N. Mishra at a condolence meeting held at the Delhi and District Cricket Association premises in the Capital on Saturday.

The meeting was attended by DDCA sports secretary Sunil Dev, former India player Surinder Khanna, Ashok Sharma, Rakesh Mathur, umpire P.K.Roy and secretary of Subhania Club Radhey Shyam Sharma.