Tuesday, 6 January 2015

EASHNO 2015 - A deliberation into Tobacco Control, Head & Neck Cancer

EASHNO 2015 - A deliberation into Tobacco Control, Head & Neck Cancer
If I had been given the awareness about tobacco like this years ago, I would have protected myself from the devastating effects of tobacco". These were the words of a victim of tobacco named Shankar Narayanan from Chennai at the EASHNO 2015 forum held at Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital.
Due to his tobacco consumption he developed mouth cancer and had to undergo tongue surgery which resulted in difficulty in speaking. Eminent National and International Doctors, Speakers and Activists working for tobacco control gathered in Chennai yesterday (04 January 2015) at the EASHNO 2015 to deliberate on Tobacco Control and Head & Neck Cancer.
The fourth edition of the Eurasian Head & Neck Cancer Forum (EASHNO 2015) was conducted in conjunction with the XIX EAFO Oncopathology Seminar 'Head & Neck Tumors' and IV Kocher's Symposium on Thyroid Cancer. The events concluded with a Special Session on Tobacco Control and Press Meet.
The special session on tobacco control was handled by Dr. Subramania Iyer, President, EASHNO, India; Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, Professor, Head and Neck Surgeon, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai; Dr. Arvind Krishnamurthy, Chair, Organizing Committee, India; Dr. Somasundaram Subramanian, Director, Eurasian Federation of Oncology, Moscow, Russian Federation; Dr. Robert J. Baatenburg, Head and Neck Surgery Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Dr. Jan B. Vermorken, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium; S. Cyril Alexander, Executive Director of MACT; Dr. Jeyakumar Duraikannu, Professor, Consultant, Surgical Oncology, Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital, India and Dr. Ramesh Mahalingam, RMO, Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital, India
Director, Eurasian Federation of Oncology, Moscow, Russian Federation Dr. Somasundaram Subramanian in his speech mentioned that physicians have an important role to play in tobacco control and applauded the initiatives taken so far. Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi focused on the challenges that are being faced in the strategies related to tobacco control at the national level.
He was also appreciated for receiving the "Sushrutha Award 2015" for successful campaign to control oral cancer in India by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Dr. Jan B. Vermorken stressed that it is the need of the hour to combat and control head & neck cancer among us.
While at the state level, Organizing Committee Arvind Krishnamurthy mentioned that there has been any increase in the number of people affected with tobacco related diseases. Dr. Jeyakumar Duraikannu appreciated the Tamil Nadu Government for their support towards tobacco control and mentioned that the Multi Super Specialty Hospital is giving inputs on tobacco control which the Government of Tamil Nadu are receptive about.
The session ended with an embarrassing note, when the International Guests shared that they had seen tobacco control violations in presence in the form of smoking in public places, chewing tobacco and so on. They believed that implementation of tobacco control rules was effective in India and they were quite saddened to see such violations taking place in front of them.
It leaves a question in people's mind as to when will all the stake holders of tobacco control come together to eradicate tobacco and its consequences. 

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