This is Dr. Murali Subramanian, Best Cancer Specialist in Bangalore. Welcome back to my podcast channel “cancer care”
In today’s podcast, I am going to discuss about “How lifestyle choice can impact your cancer risk”
Making healthy lifestyle choices is an essential aspect of cancer prevention. As emphasized by Cancer Specialist in Bangalore | Dr. Murali Subramanian, an individual’s lifestyle choices can significantly influence their risk of developing cancer. By making healthy choices such as quitting smoking, limiting alcohol consumption, eating a balanced diet, staying physically active, protecting your skin from the sun, and managing stress, individuals can reduce their risk of cancer and stay ahead of it. Regular exercise and a healthy diet can help maintain a healthy weight, which is crucial in reducing the risk of cancer.
By working with experienced Medical oncologists like Dr. Murali Subramanian, individuals can receive personalized guidance and support to help reduce their risk of cancer and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
So, keep listening to this podcast episode till the end.
To book an appointment for Cancer Treatment in Bangalore contact us on +91-9880522891
This is Dr. Murali Subramanian, Best Prevention Oncologist in Bangalore. Welcome back to my podcast channel “cancer care”
In today’s podcast, I am going to discuss about “Preventive Oncology: Latest Research and Recommendations”
Preventive oncology is a medical field that aims to prevent cancer by identifying and minimizing risk factors. It emphasizes the significance of early detection and risk reduction through various approaches such as lifestyle changes, genetic testing, screening, vaccination, chemoprevention, environmental modifications, and psychological interventions. By implementing these strategies, we can work towards reducing the global incidence of cancer.
If you’re looking for the best medical oncologists or Prevention Oncologist in Bangalore, Dr. Murali Subramanian is an excellent choice. He specialize in cancer prevention and comprehensive cancer care, including risk assessment, early detection, personalized cancer prevention strategies, and survivorship care and support.
So, keep listening to this podcast episode till the end.
To book an appointment for Cancer Treatment in Bangalore contact us on +91-9880522891
Cancer is not just a six-letter word, but a complex and nuanced disease that requires a comprehensive approach to diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care.
Best Esophageal Cancer doctor in Bangalore-Causes and Prevention of Esophageal Cancer
In today’s article, I will be talking about some of the frequently asked questions about breast cancer.
As the rate of breast cancer is increasing rapidly so, people are getting afraid nowadays. To identify or detect the onset of this disease everyone asked lots of questions to us. I will try my best to answers all of those questions in this episode.
Breast Cancer | Best Breast Cancer Doctors in Bangalore
What is breast cancer?
It’s the cancerous tumor formed within your breast tissues or ducts.
What causes breast cancer?
Till now there is no clear idea about the causes of breast cancer. Medical science has only identified risk factors. Those include:
Hormonal changes
Lifestyles
Growing age
Having a baby after the age of 30.
Use of oral contraceptives for a longer time.
History of chest radiation therapy.
Long-term combined hormone therapy.
Excessive alcohol consumption.
Obesity
Hormonal changes after menopause.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of Breast Cancer | Best Breast Cancer Doctors in Bangalore
Formation of a new lump is the most common symptom. But it might happen that the lump does not form in the earlier stage because sometimes the cancerous cell remains tender or soft. So you have to be aware of the other symptoms too.
Swelling of the entire or a part of the breast, excessive nipple discharge other than breast milk, redness or scaliness of nipples, breast pain, irritation of breast skin, and swelling of lymph nodes might be your sign of breast cancer.
When should I go for breast cancer screening?
You should not wait for screening until you face any of the above symptoms. Because sometimes the symptoms become visible only at the advanced stage. So it’s recommended that once you cross the age of 40, start annual screening.
How to lower the risk of breast cancer?
Risk of Breast Cancer | Best Breast Cancer Doctors in Bangalore
Here you should keep one thing in mind; nothing can eliminate the risk of breast cancer. The preventions I am going to tell can only lower the risks.
Try to avoid alcohol consumption as much as possible.
Do regular physical exercises.
Breastfeed at least up to 12 months’ age of your baby.
Try maintaining healthy body weight.
You can discuss hormone replacement therapy with your doctor.
I feel a movable lump in my breast, is it breast cancer?
It’s not always true that movable lumps might not be cancerous. Whatever the type of your lump is, immediately visit your doctor and get the all prescribed screening done.
What kinds of treatment options are available?
Presently two options are there.
Surgery
Radiation therapy
In surgery, depending on the specific situation several sub-options are available. The doctor might remove your entire breast or might remove a part of breast tissue or the tumors. But no need to worry, you can go with oncoplastic or breast reconstruction surgery to rebuild your breast shape.
In radiation therapy, you have to bear a high-energy radiation wave that destroys your cancerous tumor.
Apart from these two options, depending on your cancer type your doctor might provide you with Chemotherapy or hormonal therapy options. In the first one anti-cancer drug are delivered to your body for killing the cancerous cell. In the second hormone therapy, the drug used prevents the growth of cancer cells.
However, there is another latest therapy that is targeted therapy about which I have already discussed in detail in one of my earlier sessions.
Treatment for Breast Cancer | Best Breast Cancer Doctors in Bangalore
What are the possible side-effects of these treatments?
Whatever treatment you have to choose you can’t avoid sides-effects.
Surgery: Common side-effects include short-term pain and swelling, weakness and swelling of arms, or lymphedema.
Radiation therapy: Excessive skin irritation and breast pain. Some of the patients face this discomfort at the beginning of the treatment; however, in case of the good immunity power, these symptoms might be visible in the latter settings.
Chemotherapy: The most common side-effect of chemotherapy is vomiting, diarrhea, lowering of blood count, and even nerve damage.
Do breast cancer treatments affect my ability to conceive?
Unfortunately yes. Both chemotherapy and radiation therapy affect the functionality of your ovary. In the case of radiation therapy, the radiation kills some of the healthy tissues also that might make you temporary or permanently fertile.
Through this article, I have tried to cover the most frequently asked questions about breast cancer.
Also, check out other blogs related to breast cancer:
Breast Cancer Doctors in Bangalore | Dr. Murali Subramanian is one of the Best Cancer Specialist in Bangalore. Breast cancers have become a very common disease nowadays. People are getting conscious about this disease. However, there are lots of myths that create misconceptions among the general public and hamper their preventive effort toward this evil disease. Let’s know the fact against those myths.
Myth 1: Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, e.g. healthy diet, regular exercises, limited alcohol consumption, and regular exercise eliminate the risk of breast cancer.
Fact: These lifestyle behaviors lower the risk but can’t eliminate it.
Presently no one is 100% safe from breast cancer. Yes, it’s always better to take precaution and lots of evidence is there that proves a healthy lifestyle lowers the risk of breast cancer to a greater extent. But again I am saying it can’t assure you that you will not have it. So, I would suggest, besides your healthy lifestyle also do a regular screening of breast cancer. This disease can be treated better as early as it gets disorganized.
Myth 2: Use of underarm antiperspirants can cause breast cancer.
Fact: No evidence is found until now. But yes, studies are under process.
The fact it few studies have revealed absorption of aluminum and other chemical containing product through the lymph increase the concentration aluminum in breast tissues. Sometimes, not always, a higher concentration of aluminum in breast tissue might cause cancer. Harmful chemical free antiperspirant has a connection with breast cancer.
Myth 3: If my family history is free from breast cancer, I am safe.
Fact: Most of the diagnosed patient has no such family history of breast cancer.
Only 5 to 10% of breast cancer patient owns a family history of the same disease. Rests don’t have any cancer patient in their family.
It’s true, extra tight bra hampers limit the flow of lymph flow out of your breast and encourage the toxic substance build-up. But no evidence is there that proves the direct link between wearing a bra and breast cancer.
Myth 5: Keeping mobile phones inside the bra causes breast cancer.
Fact: No evidence yet. But the safety measures of mobile phone rays are under study.
Researchers are going on to evidence if there is any link between the radiofrequency of mobile phones and cancer but still not proved. However, it better not to carry a mobile in bra.
Myth 6: Annual mammogram guarantees the early detection of breast cancer.
Fact: Although it’s not false completely. Yet, there have been cases in which mammograms failed to detect breast cancer at an early stage.
There is no doubt mammography has been the best tool for detecting breast cancer till death but still, there are 20% cases, in which mammograms missed out on the early-stage detection of this disease.
Myth 7: Consumption of excessive sugar causes breast cancer.
Fact: No such evidence is there that proves sugar-rich food cause breast cancer.
Cancer cell consumes for sugar than normal cells but it doesn’t mean eating more sugar-rich food will cause cancer.
Myth 8: I don’t have any lump in my breast so I don’t have breast cancer.
Fact: The lump might not form in case of breast cancer, especially during the early stage.
In some cases we find, cancer gets already spread to lymph but there is no lump in the breast.
Myth 9: If treated at an early stage there will be no chance of recurrence.
Fact: There always remains the possibility of cancer to reappear.
The chances of recurrence lie between 15 to 20%.
Myth 10: Breast cancer attack only to women of middle and older age.
Fact: Breast cancer does have age preferences; even it can attack the men.
As you grow older the risk of breast cancer gets increases but you can have this disease at any age. Even men can also experience breast cancer.
Best Esophageal Cancer doctor in Bangalore-Causes and Prevention of Esophageal Cancer
Lung Cancer Treatment in Bangalore | Dr. Murali Subramanian | Get Lung Cancer Treatment and diagnosis from our Cancer Specialist in Bangalore. This blog is to all smokers, past smokers who are living with the fear of lung cancer, and those who are very confident about not getting attacked by this disease even after smoking.
Cancer has already become evil to our civilization. Apart from several risk factors smoking is the topmost risk factor of lung cancer. Around 90% of lung cancer deaths cause due to smoking.
Risks in active smokers. Smoking cigarettes increase the risk of lung cancer by 15 to 30 times. Even you smoke 1 to 2 cigarettes a day; you take yourself closer to the risk of lung cancer by the risk 3 to five times. Trachea and bronchus are the two parts of the lungs that get mostly affected by smoking caused cancer.
Risk in second-hand smokers. Some people think that only active smoking causes lung cancer. But researches show the majority of non-smoker lung cancer patients have a history of staying around or living with regular or chain smokers.
In actual the traces of cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke has a greater occurrence in a second-hand smoker than the active smoker. If you are living with a chain smoker then your risk of getting lung cancer increases by 20 to 30 percent.
The most alarming point is that there is no ‘safe’ level in case of such second-hand smoker.
Risk in Smokers who already quit smoking. I have heard a lot of people saying, ‘I have smoked for long. So quitting now will not provide any effect on my lung cancer risk.’ Somehow it’s true. Long-term smoking causes permanent damage to different parts of our lungs making it more feasible to cancer attack but quitting smoking at any stage lower the risk of severity of this disease. It benefits you with better tolerance power to the cancer treatments. Even quitting smoking at age of 30 might lower your cancer risk by 90 percent while quitting at 50 lower the risk by 50 percent.
Pipe, cigar, bidis, or hookah. I found a very common myth among people that smoking cigar, bidis, or hookahs are associated with a lower risk of lung cancer. This is completely wrong. These tobacco materials contain more tar than cigarettes, leading to a greater risk of lung cancer than cigarette smokers.
Antioxidant vitamins. If you think that you will continue smoking and consume antioxidant vitamins at the same time to inhibit lung cancer risk. Yes, you can reduce the risk but can’t undo it. Even there are lots of proofs that reveal the activities of antioxidant vitamins are lower in the case of a smoker than the nonsmokers.
E-cigarettes. This has already been banned in India. If you from another country and using as an option of quitting smoking then you should be aware of a few facts.
FDI found several cancer-causing substances in half of the sample they tested.
Most of the components are still unknown.
Since you are getting nicotine hit, hence it’s discouraging your smoking quitting effort.
Tips to lower the risk of lung cancer from smoking
For Non-smokers
Don’t start smoking, even occasionally.
Avoid standing around the person, who is smoking.
Follow a healthy diet, rich in antioxidant vitamins, do an ample amount of physical exercise.
Try to generate awareness among smokers.
For Ex-smokers
Apart from following the recommendation for non-smokers, carry out an annual lung cancer screening test for at least 15 years after smoking cessation.
For smokers, the only suggestion as of now is, ‘Stop smoking immediately.’
Breast Cancer Specialist in Bangalore | Dr. Murali Subramanian
The rate of new breast cancer cases is in rapid hike nowadays. As per WHO’s analysis, this rate might increase to 50% by the end of 2020, with around 15 million new cases.
While things are going beyond our hands, still we can at least remain conscious about this disease to ensure a better handling plan for it.
In this article, let’s know about the various risk factors that boost up the possibility of breast cancer.
The risk factor for breast cancer is mapped under two types:
Controllable
Uncontrollable
1. Controllable factors
Obesity. Besides breast cancer, obesity has become an additional threat to the entire world. Among all of its downsides, the increased risk of breast cancer is the most concerning one. Apart from general obesity, most of the women face post-menopausal weight gaining. Excessive fat tissues boost up the estrogen level, leading to a higher risk of breast cancer. Weight gain during adulthood and excessive fat around the waist also increase the risk.
Diet. Ongoing researches indicate consumption of foods with a higher level of fat increase the risk of breast cancer. Tans-fat rich foods, processed meat, smoked foods fall under this category.
Alcohol consumption. I have found many women saying that they consume a limited amount of alcohol. But the fact is, even a small amount of alcohol opens up the possibility of breast cancer. The percentage of risk rises as the alcohol consumption amount increases.
Smoking: Although it has the lowest effect on breast cancer, still it smoking boosts the risk of breast cancer by 1 percent.
Oral Contraceptive pill: Use of oral contraceptive pill also increases the risk of breast cancer to some extent. However, the risk persists only up to 10 years after you stop taking the pills.
These were the risk factors that you can control by changing your lifestyles a bit.
2. Uncontrollable Factors
Age: Here, you have to accept a hard truth. As you are growing older, the more you are getting exposed to the risk of breast cancer. The possibility of breast cancer is 1 in 225 women between the ages of 30 to 39 but for age above 60, the number becomes 1 in 29.
Gender: While women are more exposed to breast cancer due to ever-changing breast cell growth and the activities of the female hormone, men can also suffer from this disease.
Race: Researches and surveys reveal that European women are more likely to get attacked by breast cancer than Asian and Native American women.
Family and personal history of breast cancer. Sorry to say, but if your first degrees relative like mother, father, sister has a history of breast cancer then you are at a high risk of disease. The risk factor becomes stronger for you if your relative had breast cancer before the age of 50.
Radiation therapy. If you received any chest radiation therapy in your childhood and young adult stage of life, then you might get breast cancer at a later age.
Exposure to estrogen. Estrogen exposure for a longer period, without any break, facilitates the risk of breast cancer. Due to this reason, if your menstrual cycle starts earlier than normal age, like at 12 or lasts for late ager, after 55, you might have greater degrees of breast cancer risk.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Women having no history of full-term pregnancy or pregnancy after 30 are more prone to the breast cancer risk. Breastfeeding also plays a vital role in this regard. Women, who stopped breastfeeding before the 1.5 year or 2 years age of their baby bear the greater risk of breast cancer than the women, those could continue the breastfeeding up to this certain age.
DES exposure. From the year 1940 to 1971, diethylstilbestrol(DES) was randomly used to prevent miscarriages. Women, who consumed these medicines, are now bear a very high risk of breast cancer.
Combined post-menopausal hormone therapy (PHT). I found women are now becoming more interested in PHT to get rid of the irritating symptoms they face after menopause. As the biggest side-effect of this therapy, you become more exposed to breast cancer risk. Besides, you might be diagnosed with breast cancer at a more advanced stage due to this therapy.
There is always a fear in cancer survivors that the cancer will come back. Though we cannot control whether the cancer will come back, we can control how much this fear will affect our life. This is Dr. Murali Subramanian, Medical Oncologist in Bangalore, this blog is dedicated to the various ways cancer survivors and how to manage the fear of cancer recurrence.
Tips for coping with the fear of recurrence
We know that living with uncertainty is never easy. However, it is important to remind yourself that fear and anxiety is normal factors of survivorship. Worrying about cancer recurrence is normally most intense the first year after treatment. In most patients, this worry usually gets better over time.
I will today share with you a few ideas to help you or your loved one cope with the fear of recurrence:
Recognize your emotions. It is recommended that you never hide your emotions. Many cancer survivors I have seen try to hide or ignore negative feelings like fear and anxiety. When you ignore them, it only allows them to become stronger over a period of time and more overwhelming. We usually recommend our patients to talk about their fears with a trusted friend, family member, or counselor. When you talk out loud about your feelings, it may help you figure out the reasons behind your fears. You will be able to know why you are feeling this way- the fear of having to repeat cancer treatment, losing control over your life, or facing death. Another way our fighters have coped with fear is by writing down their feelings.
Don’t ignore your fears. It is normal to experience fears. So do not be hard on yourself for not being brave enough. By criticizing yourself for these emotions will only suppress your strength. Accept your feelings and focus your energy on managing them. Know that these emotions cannot always be managed and may increase temporarily. It may flare up before follow-up visits and if you hear other’s stories. Your fears may never come true.
Do not worry alone. We know that most people lead busy lives and may not always be there to hear your concerns. Hence we suggest our fighters join support groups. People in these groups are usually more understanding and less judgemental. Joining these groups also allow you to exchange practical information and helpful tips. The experience often creates a sense of belonging that helps survivors feel less alone.
Reduce stress. Every person deals with stress differently. Finding ways to manage the stress that suits your personality will help lower your overall level of anxiety. You could try different ways of reducing stress to find out what works best for you. This could include:
Quality time with family and friends
Focus on hobbies and other activities you enjoy
Meditation and other relaxing techniques
Exercising
Reading a book or watching a comedy movie
Be well informed. Some people tend to worry that every ache or pain is an indication of cancer recurrence. Remember that most cancers have a predictable pattern of recurrence, hence talking to your doctor can tell you clearly about the chances of cancer coming back. Being informed will help you get rid of unnecessary fear and anxiety. You must know about what symptoms to look out for.
Talk with your doctor about follow-up tests. Follow-up visits should not be avoided as they are intended to check for a recurrence of cancer. Your follow-up visit may include physical examinations or medical tests to keep track of your recovery. Having a regular schedule of follow-up visits can help you get a sense of control.
Make a healthy lifestyle choice. Healthy habits like eating nutritious meals, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep help people feel better both physically and emotionally. Avoiding unhealthy habits, like smoking and excessive drinking, helps people feel like they have more control over their health. You might find yourself overwhelmed by fear or anxiety even after your best efforts to cope with it.
Cancer Recurrence | Top Medical Oncologist in Bangalore
But if you are feeling the below feelings for a prolonged time, please talk to your doctor or visit Top Medical Oncologist in Bangalore:
Worry or anxiety that gets in the way of your relationships and daily activities or prevents you from going to your follow-up appointments
Feeling hopeless about the future
Having trouble sleeping or eating well
Not participating in activities you used to enjoy
Having trouble concentrating or making decisions
Feeling that you have nothing to look forward to
Being unusually forgetful
If you are concerned about anything on this list, talk with your doctor or write to me. This is Dr. Murali Subramanian, Medical Oncologist in Bangalore.
Breast Cancer Treatment Bangalore | Dr. Murali Subramanian has explained the importance of mammograms in the prevention of breast cancer in this blog. Thank you for the overwhelming messages all of you have been sending me. It motivates me to provide more and more information. This is Dr. Murali Subramanian, Best Medical Oncologist in Bangalore. I have received several queries regarding the prevention and tests of breast cancer. Hence, I have decided to talk about mammograms today and if every woman should take this test.
Time and again I have stressed on the need to finding breast cancer early and subsequently getting the right treatment. This can prevent deaths from breast cancer. We have seen over the years that breast tumour, if detected early, when it’s small and not spread to different parts, is easier to treat with successful results.
Hence I recommend getting regular screening tests, as it is the most reliable way to find breast cancer early.
What are the screening tests?
Before experiencing any symptoms,it is possible to detect tumours in the breast,if you go for regular screening. Screening in simple terms refer to tests used to find a disease in patients who don’t have any symptoms. Early detectionrefers to finding and diagnosing a disease earlier than if you waited for symptoms to start.
When we find presence of a tumour in breasts during screening, it is usually small and confined to the breast. Doctors usually consider the size of a breast tumour and how far it has spread to predict the prognosis.
We recommend women between 40 and 44 to start getting screened with a mammogram every year.
Women between 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year.
Women 55 and older can choose to mammogram every other year, or they can choose to continue yearly mammograms.
All of you who is considering going for mammogram must be aware of the procedure and know what the tests can do.
Mammograms
Mammograms are a screening test for breast cancer in which low-dose x-rays are used for detection of tumours. If you can get a mammogram done every year, it can help find breast cancer at an early stage. At this stage it is easier to treat cancer. A mammogram has been beneficial in detecting early tumours. According to a study conducted over decades of research it has been found that women who have regular mammograms are more likely to have breast cancer found early. These women are less likely to need aggressive treatment like surgery to remove the breast and chemotherapy, and are more likely to be cured.
Mammogram | Breast Cancer Treatment Bangalore
Remember that just like other tests, Mammograms are not perfect. They have missed some cancers. Also, doctors may suggest additional tests to confirm the results. Have you heard of over diagnosis? You might be diagnosed with a cancer that never would have caused any problems had it not been found during screening. I am telling you all this as it is important for women getting mammograms to know what to expect and understand the benefits and limitations of the test.
Recently, a new type of mammogram called digital breast tomosynthesis or 3D mammography has become much moe popular. You can check with your doctor if they do provide this test and if this is the right choice for you.
It is seen that 3D mammography appears to lower the chance of being again having to go back for follow-up testing. It also appears to find more breast cancers.
3D mammograms often cost more than 2D mammograms and that needs to be considered too before deciding.
Clinical breast exam and breast self-exam
Clinical Exams | Breast Cancer Treatment Bangalore
By now I hope all of you are aware of the benefit of regular physical breast exams done by either a doctor or by women themselves. It is seen that breast cancer is detected after a woman finds a certain abnormality in her breast, usually not during a proper routine self-examination but when they were having a bath or dressing. I would like to stress here that women should be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel and if they find anything out of the ordinary, any small changes or signs, they should consult a doctor without further delay.
While you can visit a doctor for regular check-ups, a self-examination at home is also recommended. I hope I have answered most of your queries. Please feel free to write to me in case you need details on more specific topics. I will try to answer all of you.
Coping with Cancer - Day to Day Life | Best Cancer Doctors in Bangalore
Best Cancer Doctors in Bangalore | Dr. Murali Subramanian
This is Dr. Murali Subramanian, a medical oncologist, practicing in Bengaluru. Welcome back to my podcast channel “ cancer care”
Dealing with cancer is obviously a life-changing event for most people fighting cancer. Stories of brave heart cancer-fighters are worth reading and listening to as it can be a time to reduce regrets and make new priorities. Their lives are a true inspiration for many as they learn to live each day as normally as they can. It is all about enjoying the simple things you like to do.
