Health Matters newsletter: shining the spotlight on cancer

With World Cancer day falling on the fourth of February, it was an occasion for us to march out the cavalry to report on cancer, and we are not done yet. There will be other stories throughout this month, keep your eyes peeled for them. The World Cancer Day campaign 2025-27, “United by Unique”, places people at the centre of care and will explore new ways of making a difference. It offers a three-year journey from raising awareness to taking action, as per the Cancer Day website. With a vast array of changing lifestyles, the impacts of which are still unclear, or are being studied, it is clear that the further away we move from diets and environments that are familiar to our genes, there are chances that things can go wrong, apart from pollution and environment-related, anthropocentric factors. We try to uncover both alarming trends and hopeful advances in the field over the month.

Vid Karmarkar, Parth Sharma in their piece on The financial toxicity of cancer care in India write about how, faced with exorbitant costs, many cancer patients in India find themselves at a crossroads between their health and their financial stability. A poignant account reveals the harsh realities of financial toxicity in cancer care, raising critical questions: How can we make advanced treatments accessible to all?

A recent study from Hyderabad reveals troubling statistics about breast cancer incidence rates in the city, outpacing other major metropolitan areas. What does this mean for future cancer prevention strategies, and how can communities mobilise resources to combat this alarming trend? To learn more read Siddharth Kumar Singh’ s article In India, breast cancer incidence is highest in Hyderabad, reveals study

A groundbreaking initiative by IIT Madras aims to propel cancer research forward in India with a new public access cancer genome database. Perhaps this could this be the key to unlocking personalised medicine for Indian patients and revolutionising cancer care across the nation. Read IIT Madras launches public access cancer genome database to help cancer research, drug discovery, in India for more information on this.

Dr. Nidhi Tandon weighs in on the impact of the sun on the skin. As summer approaches, it’s crucial to understand how sunshine affects our skin health. She delves into the science of UV radiation and its long-term effects: it is possible that using sunscreen daily can prevent potential skin cancers that are silently creeping up on us. For more, read here.

This week we have rolled out a couple of stories on the harm that unregulated scientific publications in journals might have, far more than imagined. Frederik Joelving, Cyril Labbé, Guillaume Cabanac make the case that Bogus scientific papers slowing lifesaving medical research. Over the past decade, the emergence of paper mills producing fake scientific research has sparked alarm in the academic world. These fraudulent publications not only mislead researchers but also endanger the very foundation of medical advancements.

Dr. C. Aravinda writes about what journals are doing about this in Scamming Science: Predatory Journals and the Academic Rat Race. In an unprecedented move, leading scientific journals unite to expose the lurking dangers of predatory publications that compromise the integrity of scholarly work. As academia embraces a metrics-driven approach, will researchers succumb to the pressure of the “publish or perish” culture? he asks.

Following up on the multiple repercussions of the United States’ withdrawal from multiple funding commitments, under the Trump Administration, Dr. Chandrakant Lahariya brings us an alternative take: He says The U.S.’s exit from WHO is a chance to reshape global health. He writes that this decision also serve as a catalyst for greater global collaboration, especially among Asian and African countries. 

Here, I discuss that the freezing of funds of USAID may not necessarily impact India too much, but the same cannot be said for the rest of the world. 

Sambavi Parthasarathy presents a data story on the The cause and effects of the U.S.’s withdrawal from WHO.

While you are at it, do also read this edit in The Hindu on the subject.

Daniel T. Kim discusses What the ‘moral distress’ of doctors tells us about eroding trust in health care. The ethical dilemmas faced by healthcare professionals are becoming increasingly complex. This article discusses how moral distress among doctors, stemming from conflicts with patient expectations, is contributing to a decline in trust within the medical community. Can a fragile relationship between families and physicians be pitted against the backdrop of such distress?

In India, did you know, thousands of lives are lost daily due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest, a situation exacerbated by low awareness of CPR. This piece highlights shocking statistics and urges for a nationwide push to train citizens in life-saving skills. What could more aware bystanders mean for the survival rate of heart attack victims? Explore the potential impact in the complete article, by Dr. Indu Bhushan: The cost of not knowing CPR in India: understanding how low awareness of life-saving skills exacerbates health disparities

What ails India’s massive diagnostics sector: our team puts labs under the lens here. The fast-growing diagnostics sector in the country faces numerous challenges, from low entry barriers to a lack of standardization. This article uncovers the need for strict regulations to ensure reliability and safety in lab results, drawing attention to tragic cases that highlight the issue. With so much at stake, can the sector afford further delay in enforcing necessary protocols? 

Serena Josephine M. reports: As the diabetes epidemic rises, an international expert group has formulated a streamlined three-step plan aimed at combating this growing health crisis in Southeast Asia. This article outlines pragmatic steps physicians can take to identify and treat individuals at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Read more here: A three-step implementation plan that gives thrust to primary prevention of diabetes.

Bindu Shajan Perappadan writes on a crucial issue here: Delay in roll out of funds under rare diseases policy hits patients The National Policy for Rare Diseases (NPRD) has budgeted for ₹974 crore to continue to assist patients after the funds under the NPRD 2021 ran out. This project faces significant delays, severely impacting patients, especially children. Advocacy groups have reached out to the Health Ministry, demanding immediate intervention to provide access to crucial life-saving drugs.

Madhumita Sharma and Treya Sinha write on the travails of the indefatigable ASHA worker, central to India’s healthcare system, making a case for higher compensation for them. 

Vijaita Singh has a very important story here: the Census, intended for 2020-21, has faced significant delays, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing political debates over caste enumeration. With essential reports on births and deaths still unissued, the urgency for accurate demographic data has never been higher. What implications could this delay have on public policy and resource allocation in the country?

In an enlightening discussion with Shilpa Elizabeth, Professor Janet Thornton highlights the transformative role that hospital data plays in advancing AI capabilities in healthcare. With the potential to reshape medicine and address systemic challenges, what new possibilities emerge as we learn to harness this data effectively? Data from hospitals is critical in training AI and making healthcare better, says structural biologist Janet Thornton 

In the tailpiece, this week, D.P. Kasbekar says the answer to whether the baby will be a boy or a girl is probably in the SRY gene. Scientific curiosity about gender determination has been around since time immemorial. Recent research dives deep into the role of the SRY gene on the Y chromosome, revealing how it propels male development, but what about the rare instances where females carry this gene? Unravel these exceptional cases and learn how genetic science is challenging our understanding of sex development.

Athira Elssa Johnson writes that as Children with TB continue to have high rates of mortality, experts stress on the need to plug gaps in diagnosis, access to drugs. 

As part of the tie up between The Hindu and Naruvi Hospitals, we continue with the Healthy India, Happy India series here, this time on menstrual health: Maintain a menstrual diary to track irregular periods: experts  

In the Explainers section, this week, we have:

A.S. Jayanth: What is brucellosis that led to the death of an 8-year-old in Kerala? 

Round peg in a square hole: How doctors pulled off cross-blood transplant in patient with rare Bombay blood group

All you need to know about: concussions

D. Balasubramanian on How bacteria resist antibiotics?

If you have a few extra moments, also read: 

Afshan Yasmeen says: Researchers develop tool to help stroke survivors recover cognitive functions

ICMR calls for collaborations to begin development of vaccine against avian influenza

Snehal Mutha writes: GBS cases surge to 170, WHO provides support to Pune medical staff 

Experts stress need for inclusive wellness approach to maternal health

Later-onset menopause linked to lower heart disease risk

For many more health stories, head to our health page and subscribe to the health newsletter here.