Dr Vamshi Krishna is a senior medical oncologist at Onco.com. He has expertise in chemotherapy, PICC line insertion, Ewing’s sarcoma, giant cell tumor, lung and breast cancers etc. In this interview he talks in detail about blood cancer. As a member of both international and Indian oncology networks and forums, he delves into treatment paradigms and protocols that are in motion in both the West and the now developing India.
Dr Krishna specifically explores topics related to blood cancer like the different types, and the different treatment modalities, how normal and cancer blood cells differ from each other, and if cancer in the blood is really curable. He confirms the safety of clinical trials and calls them win-win situations for both patients and the medical research community as the former gets the best possible treatments and the medical fraternity improves from it. The following are a few topics he covers.
- Is cancer in the blood curable?
Dr Krishna gives a very nuanced answer to a simplistic question where cure depends on the type of blood cancer. Nonetheless, he emphasises that the aim of treatment should always be the best possible results and not ‘cure’. Find out more below.
2. What specialist must a blood cancer patient seek?
Dr Krishna very interestingly draws attention away from the kind of specialist to the different types of blood cancer that exist and the treatment protocols that are evolving for each of them.
3. Why do different oncologists prescribe different treatment plans for blood cancer?
He reassures the the fact that treatment plans for the same cancer may differ and yet prove effective coming from multiple doctors. “It is not that the treatments are different. It is just that they are geared in a different way with different results… And the overall guidelines in most of these protocols are the same… They are essentially the same drugs used in a slightly different fashion.”
4. How do you think a second opinion can help obtain better results for blood cancer?
Dr Krishna says that second opinions become important in confirming the fact that the diagnostic test reports are correct and the treatment plan prescribed may be followed through without hesitation. Listen to expert advice on the subject.
5. Anything you want to add about Onco.com and the support we provide?
He urges people who are unsure about the treatment advice to get online help that might have a bigger bandwidth in terms of networking and finding an optimum treatment centre for different patients across the country. This only guarantees that confidence levels for patients goes up by several notches.
Bone marrow transplants, though risky, have evolved over the last two decades and Dr Vamshi zones in on the scenario in India. He encourages the consultation for a second opinion in the case of advanced treatments and newer drugs from referral doctors. Financial assistance can also be accessed when required. Watch the full video to find out more.
