NEW DELHI: “Believe in yourself and you can conquer the world”. This famous saying found manifestation in the life of a woman who beat an advanced stage of cancer at the age of 90 despite suffering from various co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension.
The undaunted spirit shown by the woman, Jasbir Kaur, in her fight against the terminal illness has become a source of inspiration for the doctors and the patients at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali, where she underwent treatment.
According to doctors, apart from her uncommon show of courage during the treatment, what sets this case apart is her recovery from cancer only through the use of radiation therapy. “When Kaur was diagnosed with cancer, she did not panic and decided to fight head-on.
Being the wife of an Army officer, she has always learned to fight till the last breath. She started her journey of treatment with full positivity and smiled through all radiation sessions. I think her firm belief in living and faith in our treatment helped her defeat the cancer soon,” said Dr Vineet Nakra, radiation oncologist at the hospital, who led the case.
Kaur was diagnosed with stage III of Adenocarcinoma of the rectum last year. Adenocarcinoma is a type of cancer that starts in glands that line the insides of the organs, which is why it can affect different body areas. Adenocarcinoma forms in glandular epithelial cells, which secrete mucus, digestive juices or other fluids. In some cases, adenocarcinoma spreads to other parts of the body, and at that point, it’s called metastatic adenocarcinoma.
According to doctors, she had trouble passing the stool, pain in the abdomen, cramping and discomfort before being diagnosed with the disease. Nakra and his team did meticulous planning in view of her age and co-morbidities and decided to give radiotherapy for 25 sessions. “Radiotherapy sessions are not easy and patients often suffer side effects which include fatigue, nausea and vomiting. Many patients even discontinue the sessions mid-way due to these issues.
However, Kaur completed all her sessions comfortably. She kept repeating to us how excited she was to celebrate her 90th birthday and see her grandchildren get married. I think that motivated her a lot,” said Dr Hardeep Singh who was part of the team. “Besides, she also inspired others with her positivity. Whenever she got a chance, she used to counsel others and motivate them,” he added.
After the course of therapy, Kaur underwent evaluation after 3 months and to the doctors’ surprise, her report showed a complete remission. Her symptoms were also completely relieved. She celebrated her 90th birthday with her family last month. Speaking about the treatment, Nakra said radiation therapy is an extremely targeted treatment, precisely acting on cancer, wherever it may be in the body.
“This allows the cancer cells to be killed or be reduced in number while safeguarding most of the healthy organs and tissues in the body. Considering the age and underlying illnesses of Jasbir Ji where surgery was not a feasible option, after detailed planning, we used Image-guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) which is an advanced therapy that delivers radiation with higher degrees of precision, hence the patient faces minimal side effects. It was her positivity and latest technology that helped us to treat her cancer completely,” he added.
Adenocarcinoma of rectum in remission Kaur was diagnosed with stage III of Adenocarcinoma of the rectum last year. Adenocarcinoma is a type of cancer that starts in glands lining the insides of organs, thus affecting different bodily functions. Adenocarcinoma forms in glandular epithelial cells, which secrete mucus, digestive juices or other fluids. Adenocarcinoma may spread to other parts of the body, a condition called metastatic adenocarcinoma.
