Dr Shashi Sewsurn: “Cancer is curable if detected early”

Taking place under the tagline ‘We can. I can.’, the World Cancer Day will be celebrated worldwide on February 4. Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death in the world and the third leading cause of death in Mauritius in 2015. How is the situation evolving on our island? News on Sunday reports. 

This year, the World Cancer Day is appealing to each and everyone to contribute and act to reduce the impact of cancer in the world. Celebrated on February 4th under the tagline ‘We Can. I Can’, the World Cancer Day is thus encouraging each of us to reflect on what we can do to make a difference in the fight against cancer. 

How can cancer be defined? According to Dr (Mrs) Shashi Sewsurn, Consultant in Charge and Head of Radiation and Clinical Oncology at Victoria Hospital, “cancer is an abnormal and uncontrollable growth of cells. It can occur anywhere in the body, from head to toe and it can occur at any age.” Dr Sewsurn underlines that cancer is the 3rd common cause of death in Mauritius after cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

What do statistics indicate?

According to the Incident of Cancer in Mauritius 2015, there are various types of cancers affecting men and women. Dr Sewsurn explains that in 2015, among male patients: 152 were affected by colorectal cancer (cancer in the colon or rectum); 139 were affected by prostate cancer (cancer in the gland in the male reproductive system); and 100 were affected by lung cancer.

Among women, statistics for 2015 indicate that: 483 patients were affected by breast cancer; 172 patients were affected by colorectal cancer; and 94 patients were affected by cervical cancer.

Dr Sewsurn underlines that according to the National Cancer Registry 2015, among the 2,489 new cases of cancer recorded, 1,407 were female patients while 1,082 were male patients. 

Major causes of cancer

Why has cancer disease taken a toll on people worldwide? What are the major causes of cancer in Mauritius? Dr Sewsurn tells us that the major cause in Mauritius is the new lifestyle. “The lifestyle of Mauritians has changed over the years with industrialisation and economic boom. People are now leading a modern lifestyle. They consume fast food and rich fatty diets, they are affected by stress, in addition there is smoking and alcohol, obesity, and sedentary lifestyles. There is thus a lifestyle disorder,” she explains.

She however indicates that there has been an increase in the number and types of cancer being detected with the increasing number of cancer detecting tools such as MRI, Bone Scan ans so on. Dr Sewsurn also adds that alcohol and smoking are the major risk factors for cancer. She trusts that most important of all is the prevention which has to be constantly done as society continues to go on and evolve. 

“The awareness needs to done amongst people. For example, people consume an excessive amount of red meat. They need to be aware that barbecues for example are very bad for health. The smoke from the charcoal is very bad. In addition to this, there are insecticides and pesticides which are also causes of cancer.”

Dr Sewsurn explains that obesity is another social problem. “It is affecting the population by large as people are leading a sedentary life. They have less time for exercise and consume fried and fatty foods and an excessive amount of margarine, butter and cheese.” However she does underline that people can also be affected by cancer due to genetic reasons.

Cancer treatment

There are several modality approaches to cancer treatment, explains Dr Sewsurn. “First one is operation where we surgically remove the cancerous tumour, the second one is radiotherapy treatment where we kill the cancer cells through radiation and the third one is chemotherapy where anti-cancerous medicines is given to the patient through intravenous means.”

The doctor explains that their cancer treatment services have been decentralised since the past years. “Treatment is now done in SSR Hospital (North), Dr Jeetoo Hospital, and Victoria Hospital. The out-patient services have also been decentralised.” Dr Sewsurn highlights that there are three treatment machines available only at Victoria Hospital among two Cobalt 60 Radio Therapy equipment and one Linear Accelerator. She also underlines that Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy are available at Victoria Hospital.

Surviving the disease

Dr Sewsurn is proud to say that she has witnessed many cancer survival cases. “For example, I have witnessed a breast cancer patient who has lived more than 30 years. We have very good follow up services and very good survival cases. I have also come across five breast cancer patients suffering from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma who have survived the disease. They have been treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. One of them has even got pregnant and has delivered a healthy baby. These excellent results are rare but very positive.”

Dr Sewsurn is very optimist regarding cancer survival. “Cancer is curable if detected early,” she says. People should be cautious and prevention should be done among the population. “People should say no to alcohol and smoking. They should also avoid fatty foods like butter, cheese, etc. They should also avoid excessive consumption of red meat and fried foods. They should consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and exercise regularly.”

The doctor also advises women to do monthly self-examination of the breast as from puberty as well as an annual examination by a physician. “They should also look for lumps. If detected, they must rush to the doctor or hospital. Also, sexually active women should seek for a pap test (a test of cells in the cervix).” It is good to know that the Ministry of Health has a caravan going around the island in order to offer free health check-ups to people.