Experts Stress Benefits Of Molecular Tests In Cancer Diagnosis At Workshop In IMS & SUM Hospital In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: Health experts stressed on the benefits of advanced molecular tests on cancer diagnoses and prognosis at a Continued Medical Education (CME) programme in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

They discussed latest advancements in the field of molecular hematology, which has a direct impact on cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment, at a workshop held in the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar.

The CME on “Molecular Hematology – The Future We Are Living In”, which was conducted on hybrid mode on Wednesday, attracted delegates from all over the state and outside.

Experts belonging to the field spoke about advanced molecular tests involving polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), cytogenetics, sanger sequencing and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). They said these procedures had become the backbone of patient care in hematology, oncology and other disciplines of
medicine.

“These tests have a direct impact on cancer diagnosis and prognosis and also guide treatment decisions in this era of personalised medicine,” said Prof Hara Prasad Pati, honorary founder of the Hematology Research Foundation, who was a guest speaker at the CME.

Pointing out that these tests were outsourced from Odisha to other states by almost all hospitals and labs, the speakers said IMS and SUM Hospital was the first medical college and hospital in the state to have developed in-house NGS facility.

The molecular and genomics tests were complicated high-end tests which required not only advanced laboratory set up but also special technical and reporting expertise. The advent of genomics era in the state would highly benefit patient care and research, they said.

IMS and SUM Hospital, being part of a Deemed to be University and a Medical College, was making good academic progress which would benefit the people at large, Prof Pati said adding that this CME is proof of the academic excellence the institution has achieved.

Prof Pushparaj Samantasinhar, Medical Superintendent of IMS and SUM Hospital, said the institute had been setting new benchmarks in the field of health care and had recently become the first to employ the Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T cell (CAR T-cell) therapy to treat a young blood cancer patient successfully. It had already conducted more than 70
Bone Marrow Transplantations (BMT) with success, he said.

Dr Priyanka Samal, Head of Clinical Hematology, said her department had received the support of all other departments in undertaking the CAR T-cell treatment of the patient. “Every day is a day of learning while the patient load is on the rise,” she added.

Dr Shivangi Harankhedkar, Head of the hospital’s Molecular and Genomics Lab, was the organising secretary of the event.

Prof Rajashree Panigrahy, Laboratory Director; Prof Soumya Surath Panda, Head of Medical Oncology; Prof Debahuti Mahapatra, Head of Pathology; Prof Rajesh Kumar Bhola, Head of Lab Hematology and faculties of different departments took part in the proceedings.