Skip to main content

What is NCCN?

 NCCN stands for National Comprehensive Cancer Network. In this blog, you will find a lot of reference to NCCN guidelines. This is a resource that we, as cancer surgeons have come to respect and depend on for providing state of the art cancer management.

NCCN is a non profit organisation.

It is conglomerate of 30 cancer hospitals in the United States. This group consists of experts who treat cancers in high volume dedicated research centers. We, at PCRRC have been using NCCN guidelines to provide care for our patients since 2007. Though as clinicians, we find that leading research journals like Journal of gastrointestinal Surgery, Surgical Oncology Clinics and many such expert resources also provide information on cutting edge technologies, NCCn guidelines for cancer provide the appropriate bedside tool for the management of patients.

Though we develop expertise, by using self developed tools, NCCN gives a good framework with which we can take the patient through the entire treatment protocol that meets world standards.

At PCRRC, we provide the comfort to our patients that they can always be assured that only scientifically proven and tested principles will be used for treatments.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is pancreas cancer curable?

Pancreas cancer is NOT curable at present. It is CONTROLLABLE. The treatment options that make this possible are available in Chennai itself. Better surgery techniques, better medical treatments and better radiation methods have added many years to patients suffering from pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer at the root of the blood vessels - CAN be successfully removed. Pancreas cancer with spread to liver - CAN be removed Every pancreas cancer patient should have hope and persist in improving the outcome by using the option of better surgery, better radiation and better medical treatments.
Post a Comment
Read more

What is CA 19.9 and why should we test this in pancreas cancer?

CA 19.9 is an essential part of the evaluation of pancreatic cancer. CA stands for Carbohydrate antigen. This CA19.9 is normally produced in two sources in the human body - pancreatic parenchymal cells and the biliary epithelial cells. We still don't know the connection points between the tissue production of CA19.9 and the blood levels. This protein was discovered in the research for large intestinal cancers, but we have found that it is very useful in pancreatic malignancies. A level of > 1000 has a very high chance (around 99%) of pancreatic cancer. The normal level is around 37 U/L and usually the other cutoffs that pancreatic surgeons remember is 100 U/l and 500 u/L, to assess cancer diagnosis and features of advancing disease. It is important to check your CA 19.9 levels after the jaundice is relieved by ERCP and stenting. High levels in the presence of jaundice or cholangitis (infection of the bile ducts) is not useful to assess advanced disease. At PCRRC, we keep 500 u/L...
Post a Comment
Read more

Do we have an answer for encasement of arteries in pancreatic cancer?

Pancreas cancer can encase the nearby key arteries. The three arteries that can be involved are hepatic artery (The one that takes blood to the liver), the celiac axis (The artery to the stomach and nearby organs) and the superior mesenteric artery (the artery to the small intestine). Till recently, the approximation of the tumour mass to any of these vessels was considered incurable and not suitable for surgery. These patients were provided palliative chemotherapy and radiation therapy along with pain control measures. These lesions were considered too advanced. NCCN guidelines call these lesions as locally advanced pancreatic cancer. The diagnosis of locally advanced pancreatic cancer is no longer made on the surgical table. With standardised imaging   (1)  being available in most places, pancreatic surgeons make this diagnosis after imaging evaluation. The obvious next step in evaluation is to look for disease in other major organs like liver, lungs and bone. A diagnosis of...
Post a Comment
Read more