Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman Apollo Hospitals Group released a pioneering textbook on Surgical Oncology, a groundbreaking introduction in cancer research studies

A revolutionary textbook on Surgical Oncology, dealing with the fundamental principles, evidence based approaches and emergent technologies was released by Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals. The book has been edited and compiled by Dr. David L Bartlett, Dr. Pragatheeshwar Thirunavukarasu and Dr. Mathew D Neal, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of Pittsburgh, USA. The first copy of the book was received by Pariventhar Thiru. T.R.Pachamuthu, Chancellor, SRM University.

The first chapter of the book has been authored by the iconic figure in cancer research, Dr. Bernard Fisher, after whom is named the commonly known “ Fisher Concept of Cancer, a concept that explains how cancer spreads. Its the first book with a Level of Evidence table at the end of each chapter.

The first copy of this book was seen by Former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Dr. Kalam expressed exuberant encouragement and appreciation on the groundbreaking work being done by Dr. Pragatheeshwar and his team on the gene therapy for cancer. In his speech at a medical convention, Dr. Kalam said,“Today I received an email from Dr Pregatheeswar Thirunavukarasu, from University of Pittsburg, USA, who recently came to address the Science Congress at Chennai. He is an expert in gene therapy and has found a gene therapy for cancer. The results of his work are published in many reputed peer-reviewed scientific journals. The early results are very promising, but there is a long way for them to go. He and his team are working on many ideas to fine-tune the function of vaccinia virus and make it more effective and safe.

He further added,“They are looking for opportunities to increase awareness and interest among the medical community in India and other countries about this method of cancer therapy, so that more research and clinical trials will happen. My greetings to him and his team for the success. If this successfully comes up, certainly there is a great revolution in cancer management.

The book comprises contributions of 40 authors from the USA, including experts in their respective fields. This is the first ever book in oncology which has a Level of Evidence table at the end of each chapter which lists down the strength of scientific evidence available for each procedure or treatment that is practiced. Such information is priceless in an era of evidence-based medicine. There is one exclusive chapter for Robotic surgery in the book, which would be the future of Surgical Oncology.

Speaking at the launch, Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Chairman Apollo Hospitals Group said,“This pathbreaking book enlightens one on several aspects of cancer research. It can lead and steer many more future researches in understanding cancer and developing innovative and futuristic therapies. Apollo Hospitals is committed to making every type of Cancer curable and my teams pursue this goal relentlessly. In India, almost 35% of the world’s cancer population resides and cognizant of this statistic, Apollo Hospitals has stepped up efforts for the prevention of cancer, early detetction of cancer and is forefront of developing innovative protocols to treat cancer. On this momentous occasion, I convey my heartiest congratulations to Dr. Pragatheeshwar and his team for having brought upon this commendable work to India. This is indeed an opportunity for the medical fraternity in India to raise the bar in cancer surgery and treatment.

Dr. Pragatheeshwar, who has pioneered this project, said, “This book has been specially crafted to educate and update oncologists in India on the latest evidence, technologies and the future of cancer surgery. It is a text book which has been supported by Level of Evidence tables so as to provide enough research-based approaches to cancer care. Dr. Bartlett’s team and I have been working on a particular therapy named Vaccinia Oncolytic Gene Therapy, which is still in the stages of testing and fool proofing. We hope that through the collaborations with the healthcare pioneer in India, Apollo Hospitals, we will be able facilitate more studies and trials on these futuristic technologies.