Experts Discuss Challenges and Breakthroughs in Oncology

Worldwide efforts towards battling cancer received an impetus in September 2001, when eminent national and international speakers gathered at AKU's seventh National Symposium in Karachi, to share knowledge and discuss ways to alleviate the suffering of oncology patients.

This two-day symposium on "Current Challenges in Oncology" was attended by world-renowned scientists from Karolinska Institute, Sweden; Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore, India; Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan; Comstech Secretariat, Pakistan; as well as speakers from Nepal and Bangladesh.

Dr Tariq Siddiqui, Professor and Head of Oncology Section, AKU, presents the breakthroughs in the fight against breast cancer at the National Symposium.

At the inaugural session, the chief guest, Dr. Zulfiqar Hussain Gilani, Vice Chancellor of the University of Peshawar, explained, "the moment a person is diagnosed with cancer, the normal shift of attention moves towards the medical side. However, we tend to forget that it is a human being that has been afflicted, and this affliction has tremendous psychological and social costs, both at personal and familial levels, and may be even at a societal level."

Dr. Gilani described how the longevity of a person is affected by his/her psyche. He said one of the factors in children with cancer is "how a family deals with the disease."

Welcoming the guests, Dr. Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, S.I., President, AKU, underlined the importance of research in  understanding and improving the care of cancer patients. Stressing the theme of "quality over quantity" Dr. Kassim-Lakha said, "While teaching knowledge is important, generating knowledge is far more important." He also highlighted the significance of research collaborations and other academic linkages AKU has established with leading academic centres within Pakistan and throughout the world.

Initiating the symposium proceedings, Dr. Robert Maudsley, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, AKU, said cancer is a global problem and every year doctors, researchers and scientists come ever closer towards the goal of alleviating the pain and suffering of cancer patients. He said that AKU had organised the current oncology symposium to highlight this work and promote the sharing of knowledge and experience between national and international experts.

Dr. Mohammad Khurshid, Medical Director and Consultant Haematologist and Oncologist, AKU, introduced a remarkable young girl, who was once a cancer patient. She gave a candid account of the ordeal she went through: "When I hear about cases where people have not survived cancer, I really feel very fortunate." She shared with the audience the painful moments she had to face as doctors battled with her disease.

In his keynote address, Dr. Tariq Siddiqui, Professor and Head of Oncology Section, Department of Medicine, AKU, discussed breakthroughs "in our ability to predict axillary lymph node involvement in breast cancer, a crucial element in the management of breast cancer patients." The inaugural session was followed by scientific sessions in which participants presented original research papers in line with the symposium's central theme.

In the first scientific session on day one, Dr. Olle Söder  from Karolinska Institute, spoke on "Long-term endocrine complications after successful cancer treatment in childhood". This was followed by five free papers on the subject of "Solid Tumours". In the second scientific session on "Haematology/ Oncology", there were two invited lectures: one by Dr. Shahid Pervez from AKU on "Lymphomas: Yesterday, today and tomorrow - with a Pakistani perspective"; and the other by Dr. Mammen Chandy from India, on "Bone marrow transplantation for the developing world". These were followed by three free papers on topics related to stem cell transplantation, acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Pakistani adults, and EB virus genomic polymorphism. 

On the second day, there was an invited lecture on "Current surgical management of renal cell carcinoma" by Dr. Farhat Abbas of AKU, and a lecture by Dr. Mammen Chandy, on "Treating acute leukaemia in the developing world". Other   lectures included one by Dr. Anwar Nasim, from COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad, on "Oncogenes studies with yeast: Lessons to be learnt", and the other by Dr. Günter Weber from Karolinska Institute, on "Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1, the next ten years". Dr. Zeba Aziz of Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore, spoke on "Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Pakistan". 

The final scientific session was dedicated to the Students' Symposium in which students from AKU and other universities presented seven free papers. In addition to these oral presentations, posters remained on display for two days. While the sessions progressed, participants exchanged ideas and discussed different topics on cancer. An exhibition of medical and scientific products was also held during the symposium.