Renowned Indian American Radiation Oncologist Dr Dattatreyudu Nori, who was recently appointed as a senior adviser for the India operations of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), a cancer treatment and research institution in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, said that the MSKCC is one of the world's top cancer centers and he had aimed to have one of its centers open in India.
Speaking to New India Abroad®, Nori said that he gets a lot of patients from India whom he treats at MSKCC. He noted that Indian patients look out for different hospitals and opinions, and they spend a lot of money going to different centers before reaching MSKCC.
According to him the India centre will make a second opinion option available to Indians within the country, eliminating the need to travel to the US. Nori emphasized that the first treatment for cancer cure should be the best. "There is no room for catching up," the doctor said.
A MSKCC centre was opened in Chennai, India in 2020. However, Nori mentioned that good cancer centers are coming up in the country in the last ten years but they are not able to cater to the needs of all cancer patients. He recommended the Indian government to focus on controlling the incidents of cancer through screening and early detection. The doctor is also trying to introduce new programs in India that were successful in the US.
Speaking on the importance of early screening, Nori said that in the US it has reduced the occurrence of cervical cancer by 24 per cent, mammography has reduced the mortality of breast cancer, and awareness programs about smoking caused a downward trend of lung cancer. He revealed that he will be introducing some of these programs in India.
The Padma Shri awardee who hails from Andhra Pradesh obtained his medical degree from Kurnool Medical College and a postgraduate degree from Osmania Medical College. He is known for the development and application of brachytherapy - the implantation of radioactive seeds to combat cancer.
