One ignored a pain, the other a knot: Breast cancer survivors on what not to ignore

Back in 1995, 66-year-old Sucheta Sachdev did not do what she asks women to do now. A guide in a breast cancer support group, she talks of her journey 27 years ago. “I had an excruciating pain in my right breast, which I ignored for a long time. I had slipped and fallen on a bathroom tap and I thought that the pain and a slight protrusion was because of that. I went to Moolchand Hospital and they sent the scar tissue for a biopsy. And I was shocked the diagnosis. the time I reached the oncolog, I had lost valuable time. Although I have survived, it is important for women to consult a doctor the moment they sense some abnormality,” says she.
“In those years, cancer meant definite death. Being a working mother, I hardly had time to pay attention towards myself as the entire procedure spanned months. This included chemotherapy, which meant hair fall, surgery that meant disfiguration and radiation, which meant more side effects. My family was my greatest support and I realised that for me the only option was to fight the disease head-on. It took a painful six months and several rounds of chemotherapy before I was declared ‘disease-free’. I have been on regular follow-ups with Dr P K Julka who was then at AIIMS (now Principal Director, Medical Oncology, Max Institute of Cancer Care) and was on medication for almost a decade.”
“Of course, medicines were costly and I got medical reimbursements from the educational institution I was teaching at. The side effects of chemotherapy present their own unique challenges as there are body changes. You do not understand yourself. But with a supportive family, workplace and an encouraging doctor, I could cope with them. I could even attend classes while undergoing sessions of chemotherapy and radiotherapy,” says Sachdev.
Another patient, Kanta More, shared her experience of fighting breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2017, the 67-year-old noticed a small lump in her right breast which turned out to be triple negative carcinoma. She underwent surgery in the same year followed chemotherapy. “I was diagnosed in the second stage. But I too had ignored a tiny knot in my breast. My family doctor suggested that I go for the FNAC test just to be sure. I remember there was some family event and I delayed my tests. About two-and-a-half months later, my limb movement got affected. That’s when I was diagnosed.” She experienced severe side effects like vomitting and sleeplessness, which lasted for up to five days after each session of chemotherapy. “My husband also kept awake as I stayed up nights, feeding me juice and raisins, just so that I wouldn’t be dehydrated. Of course, the insurance covered most of my costs.” More says she watches herself meticulously now for the slightest aberration. “I never miss a review and my haemoglobin levels have never dropped below 9,” she adds.
Dr P K Julka, Principal Director, Medical Oncology, Max Institute of Cancer Care, Lajpat Nagar, has treated both the survivors. Says he, “Treatment for breast cancer patients has seen a paradigm shift. In the late 70s, the entire infected breast was surgically removed. Now disfigurement has been substantially reduced. With advancements in cancer treatment, we have been able to save more lives. There was a time when medication had to be obtained from foreign countries. Now most drugs are being produced in India. This has significantly reduced the waiting time as well as the cost of treatment. Owing to availability of better diagnostics pushed greater awareness, we have started seeing breast cancer patients in early stages. These advances have significantly improved the chances of survivors and helped us doctors to make them disease-free.”
As screening is a major part of cancer prevention, what options should women go for? “If you are less than 30 or 40 years old, an ultrasound scan is a must. Only in case of suspicious growth or tissues that cannot be interpreted clearly, should one go for an MRI. Women above 40, especially those with a family hory of cancer, should go for a mammogram, once every two or three years. This is the Indian recommendation. In America, they do it once a year. We do not want to expose our bodies to unnecessary radiation because, unlike them, we also do a thorough clinical evaluation. A test should ideally be done after the woman has had her periods.”
Unknown to many, Dr Julka had got the Tomosynthesis test during his tenure at AIIMS. “This is 3D mammography, a new type of digital X-ray mammogram which creates 2D and 3D-like pictures of the breasts. This tool improves the ability of mammography to detect early breast cancers, and decreases the number of additional tests for findings that are not cancers.”
While there are many tech-aided tools, he still inss on manual discipline. “Regular follow-ups are the key to success and controlling relapses,” he says.
Dr Devavrat Arya, Director, Medical Oncology, MICC, Lajpat Nagar, said, “Due to advancements in cancer treatment, a patient’s quality of life has improved significantly. Hair loss post chemotherapy was one of the biggest sore points in a patient’s journey towards recovery. But with technologies such as Cool Cap, we will be able to significantly reduce loss of hair”.