Head, neck cancer patients get a rehab clinic in city

Hyderabad: Patients suffering from head and neck cancer (constituting nearly one-third of all cancer suffering patients in India) need not worry anymore about the treatment and the challenging life afterwards as Hyderabad is now home to one of its kind "Head and Neck Rehab Clinic" facility that will exclusively cater to them.

This facility was inaugurated at Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital and Reserach Institute, Banjara Hills by its chairman and actor-politician N Balakrishna on Monday.

Dr L M Chandrashekara Rao, senior Head and Neck Oncologist, stated that individuals who undergo treatment for advanced Tongue cancer lose their entire tongue, after which they suffer with a permanent disability of speech and swallowing food.

Likewise, some individuals had to get Larynx (voice) removed completely after which they cannot speak normally and like before.

Post operation, these individuals suffer a huge amount of pain and difficulty in all facets of life and even go into depression, he said.

"Our hospital has focussed on this aspect for the last two years, wherein we organised several meet ups when these operated patients used to converge at one place and talk to doctors and others also interacting with new patients and sharing with them their experiences that also created confidence in others to go for an operation.

As an extension to this activity, we have started this rehabilitation clinic, which is one of its kind in the country," the doctor said.

Hospital chairman N Balakrishna said one can imagine how life would become terrible once voice box (Larynx) or tongue is removed as part of cancer treatment.

The need of the hour is constant support from family members and doctors and it can go a long way in ensuring they become normal, he stressed.