Breast cancer researcher Dr Shona Nag has won an award for her ethnicity-specific study
Breast cancer researcher Dr Shona Nag has won an award for her ethnicity-specific study"I was 10 when I first knew I wanted to be a doctor," says Dr Shona Nag. An encouraging mother, biology, a favourite subject, and not getting squeamish at the sight of blood helped Shona become a general physician.
Unwavering devotion: Dr Shona Nag's efforts in the field of cancer in
India have been path-breaking. Pic/Jignesh Mistry
She lost her father to cancer at the same time that the hospital she worked at requested her to develop its cancer centre. There has been no looking back since. "My cancer patients are very special to me and have taught me a lot in life, especially resilience," Dr Nag said.
As her work in the field of cancer progressed, she became more specifically interested in breast cancer. She realises in India there is no luxury to choose your field of specialty unlike in the West, where specialty fields are narrowed down to oncologists who treat stage one, stage two or those who treat only lung or breast cancer.
One of the biggest achievements in cancer treatment in the West is the close working relationship between clinical scientists and clinicians. She elaborates that if, for example, a certain strain is noted as a common factor among patients or if a behaviour type is suspected, clinicians ask scientists in the laboratories to conduct clinical trials. Thus, doctors and scientists work together to find cures.
Along with other doctors and scientists, Nag has been involved in clinical trials for breast cancer in India. She, her colleague Dr Gupta, a pathologist and epidemiologist, have conducted trials on 1,000 Indian women suffering from breast cancer over a two-year period.
She won an award for her work, ethnic research initiative, for studying the risk factor specific to Indian women. Dr Nag and her team recently started an all-women breast friends support centre in the city and a breast cancer website.u00a0 The clinic is the first of its kind in the state, possibly in India. She does not want to rush efforts but instead is content to set the stage for others to carry on the work.
Nag rues the paucity of data on cancer in India. Her path-breaking work will go a long way towards correcting this lack. The research will establish differences between cancer in India and the West and ethnic variations in strains. The parameters will help drug companies.
Trials for cancer vaccines are difficult because the strain mutates constantly. A multi-pronged approach to treatment is the only way to treat cancer aggressively.
"I have seen a lot of suffering and I know our limitations as far as treatment of the disease goes," she admitted.u00a0 "The only thing that helps is early detection."
This is the reason why she focuses on prevention by campaigns. In the West there are campaigns focusing on regular pap smears, mammograms and the importance of self-breast examinations.
In India, majority of people concentrate on filling their bellies and therefore health is not an important issue.
So what then sustains her through her fight? "Vedanta," says the doctor.
"It has helped me understand why people suffer."u00a0 Her other 'fun' self-release is going to the gym. "My children also give me sanity."u00a0
On birthdays and occasions, grateful patients fill her home with flowers and gifts. "What more do I want?" she asks.u00a0
"I am very content with my life."
