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Rare form of skin cancer cured at Cytecare Hospital Bangalore

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Amina, who was suffering from skin cancer, was misdiagnosed in Nigeria

Thirty seven-year old Amina Abubakar was not sure that she will survive after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Amina, who hails from Nigeria is a final year medical student, who was wrongly diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 in Nigeria while she was actually suffering from skin cancer. After struggling for more than three years, Amina can now breathe easy. Thanks to the treatment that cured her at a city hospital.

She was bed-ridden for more than three years under heavy antibiotics and other cancer treatments. But the last 20 days made her recover miraculously. That is after the doctors removed a 5 kg tumour from her breast. Talking about her condition, Amina said, “I found a lump on the left breast in November 2014 and then was diagnosed as chronic mastitis in local hospital in Nigeria. I have suffered wongdiagnosis and lack of treatment for years. I was physically and mentally broken and was unable to deal with the pain and the foul smell that comes with cancer.”

Unable to find any cure in Nigeria, Amina, whose father was also once treated in a city hospital, decided to travel to Bengaluru.

She adds, “My family and I got very anxious about this situation and on the recommendation of a local doctor decided to visit Dr Anthony Pais at Cytecare for treatment.

” But it wasn’t easy for the city doctors to cure her as the disease was rare. “Skin cancer on the breast and infiltrating it is the rarest of the rare cancers in the world. This was the first treatment for a rare form of skin cancer – Syringocystadeno carcinoma paplliferum, which was diagnosed and treated in the world. It is one such case where the right diagnosis was the game-changer in the treatment of the disease,”claimed Dr Anthony Pais.

He said, “There are two types of skin cancer – melanoma and non-melanoma, most of them being non-melanoma. Among all the non-melanoma skin cancers, 75% of them are basal cell cancers; 20% of them are squamous cell cancers and about 2% of them being adnexal skin tumours. Most of these adnexal tumours are benign. The rarity of this adnexal skin cancer involving the breast is the rarest of the rare cancer. In this case, the problem started with the wart and with a birthmark close by, which is technically called a nevus. This grew over a period of time.”

Amina, who got a new lease of life, will head for Nigeria this Saturday. She will continue a follow-up at a local hospital for a couple of months more.

Curious case of cancer

According to Dr Pais, it is very difficult to know about the disease or diagnose it at an early stage. So, there is no precaution and can’t be prevented. Moreover, it is not genetic. Excessive exposure to sunlight can be one of the reasons. People living near the Equator are more prone this type of cancer as they are exposed to direct ultraviolet rays. One might diagnose this case to be that of a breast cancer which can be followed by unnecessary chemotherapy. The treatment is for the skin cancer arising on the breast infiltrating into it. So, proper surgery and radiotherapy is the answer. People should consider screening if they have any ulcer for more than three months. They should do that in case of moles or itching that appears for a months.

Source: http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/nigerian-woman-cured-of-rare-cancer-in-city-hospital/articleshow/59276487.cms

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Finally a cure ? New vaccine raises hope of reducing pneumonia deaths

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An experimental vaccine that targets dozens of strains of the bacterium that causes pneumonia has the potential to significantly bring down the number of deaths due to the disease, a new study says.

The vaccine provoked an immune response to 72 forms of Streptococcus pneumoniae in laboratory tests on animals, according to the study published in the journal, ‘Science Advances’.

“We’ve made tremendous progress fighting the spread of pneumonia, especially among children. But if we’re ever going to rid ourselves of the disease, we need to create smarter and more cost-effective vaccines,” said the study’s co-lead author Blaine Pfeifer, Associate Professor at University at Buffalo in New York.

In 2004, pneumonia killed more than two million children worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). By 2015, the number was less than one million.

Better access to antibiotics and improved nutrition account for part of the decline. But scientists say it’s mostly due to vaccines introduced in the early 2000s that target up to 23 of the most deadly forms of the bacterium that causes pneumonia — Streptococcus pneumoniae.

As the new vaccine under development targets additional strains of S. pneumoniae — including the 23 mentioned above – it could, the researchers beleive, deal another blow to the disease.

Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/health/2017/oct/21/new-vaccine-raises-hope-of-reducing-pneumonia-deaths-study-1679138.html

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Explained: What Is Hydroxychloroquine, The Drug Touted As Cure To Coronavirus!!

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Anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine is back in the news after US President Donald Trump on Tuesday hinted at retaliation if India does not export the drug that is believed to be helpful in treating the Coronavirus.

The US President has been touting hydroxychloroquine’s potential and terming it a gamechanger. But does this anti-malaria drug have the potential to treat the disease? Could it be a possible miracle that can pull humanity out of the pandemic? That remains to be seen.

What is hydroxychloroquine?

Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat malaria. The drug was invented during World War II. It is also prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis. According to the Johns Hopkins University Lupus Center, the anti-malarial medication has been shown to improve symptoms such as muscle and joint pain, skin rashes, inflammation of the heart and lung linings, fatigue, and fever. Hydroxychloroquine is sold under the brand name Plaquenil and is available as generics.

Is it safe to use?

The Indian Council for Medical Research Director General Balrama Bhargava has recommended the use of hydroxychloroquine for treating healthcare workers tackling the suspected or confirmed coronavirus cases and also the asymptomatic household contacts of the lab-confirmed cases. The treatment protocol recommended by the National Task Force has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) for restricted use in emergency situations.

Another scientist at the ICMR said: “The empiric use of hydroxychloroquine for prophylaxis of SARS-Cov-2 infection is recommended only for asymptomatic healthcare workers involved in the care of suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 and asymptomatic household contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases.” he said.

Side effects of the drug can be heart block, heart rhythm disturbance, dizziness, giddiness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

In March, a man died while his wife was left in a critical condition in Arizona after they took chloroquine phosphate, an additive used to clean fish tanks that is related to the composition of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine.

Can hydroxychloroquine be used to treat Coronavirus?

In France, 40 coronavirus patients were given hydroxychloroquine and more than half of them experienced the clearing of their airways within three to six days. The study suggested that the anti-malarial drug can slow infections from Sars-CoV-2 — the virus behind Covid-19 — by blocking it from entering cells in the body.

“But more recent, albeit small-scale, research from China has shown that patients who were treated with the drugs fought off coronavirus no more quickly than those who didn’t get it. Indeed, one patient given hydroxychloroquine severely worsened in condition while four patients on the medicine developed signs of liver damage and experienced diarrhea,” the Guardian reported.

And it is important to note that a drug used with for treatment with subjecting it to a full and thorough clinical trial is, at the best, untested and may have severe drawbacks.

According to the European Medicines Agency, hydroxychloroquine should not be taken by coronavirus patients except for clinical trials or emergency use programs.

Source: https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-explained-what-is-hydroxychloroquine-and-can-it-be-used-to-treat-coronavirus/350221

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