AS MANY AS 400 people are diagnosed with cancer in Barbados every year.Head of the department of radiology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Dr Peter Jolly, said this was too many.
In an interview at the QEH?yesterday he identified colon cancer as a major problem which, he added, was not widely known.
“We do see a lot, too much as a matter of fact, of patients with a myriad different types of cancers and unfortunately, one you don’t hear a lot of talk about, especially where screening is concerned, is colon cancer,” he said.
Jolly said this type of cancer was often caught too late to treat properly. By the time people developed symptoms, the disease was already too far along.
“There is the breast cancer screening programme; there’s also screening for the prostate but certainly colon cancer screening would be the way to go as we do see a lot of [colon] cancers that have gone too far by the time we see them on a CT [computerized tomography] scan,” he said.
Consultant pathologist Dr Corinthia Dupuis added they saw more than three new colon cancer patients per week.Jolly advised Barbadians to watch their diets, exercise and undergo early screenings.
Global awareness
The interview formed a part of the hospital’s World Cancer Day activities. Jolly said his department was involved with the diagnostic aspect of the disease which included X-rays, mammographies, ultrasounds, fluoroscopies and CT Scans.
Dupuis said the laboratory’s role involved both diagnosis and treatment, including screening asymptomatic patients.
“That involves pap smears and we screen for cancer of the cervix.
“We see a lot of colon biopsies and colon polyps, which is a precursor to colon cancer, so we are able to guide the surgeon and the oncologist information to prognosticate,” she said.
Head of radiotherapy Dr Radhakanth Shenoy said they dealt with the management of malignant and non-malignant tumours, adding most of their work was in chemotherapy.
Mavaleta Chase was a special guest at the briefing. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 and subsequently joined The Support Group of the Radiotherapy Department at the QEH the next year. Now its president, she said they had 35 active members who were living proof there was life after cancer.
