PK MAM
Life is as fragile as a drop of water on a lotus leaf-uncertain and fleeting. None can foresee what tomorrow holds, or when, where, and to whom cancer may strike. This relentless disease has touched almost every family, leaving fear and suffering in its wake. Yet, even amid these trials, many remain anchored in faith, trusting that a higher wisdom prevails and that we are never truly abandoned. This belief sustains us.
JANUARY 2026 – A STARK REMINDER
The granddaughter of former US President John F. Kennedy died at the age of 35 from a rare form of leukemia. Announcing her passing, the family said, “Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning.” She was a climate-change and environmental journalist, and the second child of Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg. During her illness, she had also criticised her cousin, the US Health Secretary, for scepticism and cuts in cancer-research funding. THE stark reality remains that, despite all resources, destiny often plays a decisive role in the battle against cancer.
Cancer Day is also a moment to honour those who have bravely battled this relentless disease. We remember the loved ones we have lost and stand in solidarity with those still fighting. Their courage fuels our collective resolve to advance research, improve treatments, and ultimately defeat cancer.
This article brings together selected recent developments in cancer awareness, palliative care, and medical research, focusing on insights that are practical, compassionate, and hopeful. My engagement with this subject began nearly six decades ago while witnessing my father’s battle with cancer. If these reflections offer even modest reassurance to those confronting cancer, the effort stands justified.
BROADER AREAS OF CONCERN
The Rising Concern of Cancer in Young Indians
The National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) has flagged cancers among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) aged 15-39 as a growing concern. Breast, thyroid, mouth, tongue, head and neck, and gastrointestinal cancers are the leading sites in the 30-39 age group. The age-adjusted incidence rate is higher in females than in males, with approximately 1.69 lakh new cancer cases reported annually in this age bracket.
Experts attribute this rise to lifestyle and environmental factors such as obesity, sedentary habits, chronic stress, delayed childbirth, processed diets, and pollution. While most cancers affecting AYAs fall outside routine screening, studies suggest that nearly 40% of cancer risk can be reduced through lifestyle changes-quitting smoking, limiting alcohol intake, maintaining healthy weight, and regular physical activity.
A NEW HOPE IN CANCER TREATMENT
Dr.GeethaManjunath’sNiramai has developed AI-powered Thermalytix screening, offering safe, painless, and affordable breast-cancer detection. Another promising development is Anktiva, an FDA-approved bladder-cancer drug by Immunity Bio, which has shown encouraging results in trials for other cancers and even long COVID.
THE AGONY OF CANCER PAIN
Pain is a harsh reality for many cancer patients. Prostate cancer, in particular, can be devastating, with patients often experiencing excruciating pain resistant even to the strongest painkillers. However, there is hope. Dr.HinannaBerjis, a pain physician, advocates a broader approach to pain management, incorporating therapies that are safe, accessible, and empowering.
Redefining pain does not replace medicines; it complements them by integrating patient-centred therapies. The goal is not to fight pain endlessly, but to make it bearable, improve sleep, and restore dignity. Even modest relief can renew hope, which itself becomes a vital component of compassionate cancer care.
THE POWERVOF PALLIATIVE CARE
Palliative care is not limited to end-of-life support. It focuses on improving quality of life by addressing pain, emotional distress, and supportive needs at any stage of illness. Early integration of palliative care helps patients live better-and often longer-by restoring comfort, dignity, and holistic support.
FEW RECENT RESEARCH UPDATES (2025-26 )
December 2025: UK researchers successfully used donor immune cells from healthy individuals to treat aggressive bone-marrow cancers, converting them into “living drugs.”
November 2025: An ICMR study identified sleep deprivation, chronic stress, and obesity as emerging risk factors for breast cancer.
October 2025: Certain tumour-resident bacteria were found to enhance chemotherapy effectiveness.
October 2025: AI-enabled gut-bacteria cataloguing improved prospects for early colorectal-cancer detection.
October 2025: India unveiled its first indigenous CAR-T cell therapy.
September 2025: Light-based cancer therapy showed nearly 99% success in early trials
September 2025: A parliamentary panel recommended increased oncology funding and price caps.
June 2025: Regular exercise significantly improved survival in colon-cancer patients.
June 2025: Advances in 3D imaging improved early oral-cancer detection.
June 2025: Tata Memorial Hospital introduced ultra-high radiation dosing for kidney cancer.
April 2025: AIIMS reaffirmed the benefits of early palliative-care integration
STAYING STRONG AGAINST CANCER
Cancer is fought not only with medicines, but also with resilience. A healthy lifestyle, balanced nutrition, physical activity, emotional support, and a positive outlook play a vital complementary role. No one faces this journey alone.
AFFORDABILITY: A GRAVE CHALLENGE
Affordability remains one of the gravest challenges in cancer care today. Advanced treatments-particularly immunotherapy and targeted therapies-though promising, are often prohibitively expensive, sometimes costing several lakhs of rupees per treatment cycle and requiring prolonged therapy. For the common man, such costs are simply beyond reach, forcing many families into debt or premature discontinuation of treatment.
Addressing this reality demands collective responsibility. Governments must strengthen public healthcare, regulate prices, and widen insurance coverage, while society, NGOs, and charitable institutions must actively participate in easing this burden. Compassionate consideration is not optional-it is essential to ensure that financial hardship does not decide who lives and who suffers.
WHILE , some may seek philosophical solace in concepts such as karma, for patients and families the lived reality is an ongoing struggle with the unknown. It is not DEATH we fear, but the DEADLINESS of the disease and the suffering it brings. Still, life remains precious, and individuals respond according to the resilience they are able to summon.
May the Almighty guide our medical scientists to discover effective treatments for this dreadful disease sooner rather than later. Such a breakthrough would truly be a great service to humanity.
May all beings be free from suffering?