Recently, our very own Dr. Vipul V. Thakkar joined several local experts to discuss cancer awareness and prevention during United Indian Community Forum’s (UIC) Webinar.
The panel covered topics such as routine screening for common cancers, diet and lifestyle risk factors and areas of breast and lung cancer research. Dr. Thakkar’s presentation focused on several important topics.
Dr. Thakkar discussed the presentation and management of head and neck cancer, focusing on organ preservation and the high success rate of combined modality treatment. He also emphasized the increasing incidence of HPV related cancer in patients who have never smoked cigarettes and the increased risk of cancer of the tongue, mouth, gums and lips with oral tobacco and betel nut which are commonly used in the Indian community.
Prostate cancer was then reviewed with an emphasis on screening with a simple blood test during an annual visit with your primary care provider. He then briefly talked about the increased incidence and severity of prostate cancer in minority populations before concluding with the many effective treatment options that are available to patients. For a thorough understanding of Prostate Cancer, get our eBook.
Dr. Thakkar described the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to each patient with input from surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, dieticians, social workers, and other members of the team. He explained how this helps the patient truly understand the best treatment option for them as an individual.
Finally, Dr. Thakkar described recent advances in radiation oncology including stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), stereotactic radiation therapy (SRS), image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). These advanced techniques are available at multiple centers in the Charlotte region, all staffed by the board certified physicians in SERO.
UIC Forum is an organization with a goal of unifying the voices of the South Asian / Indian community while providing education, outreach, empowerment and civic engagement.
Thank you United Indian Community Forum for including Dr. Thakkar on your expert panel!
During the pandemic, the physicians of SERO continue to provide cancer education through community webinars while maintaining their focus on high quality, individualized treatment for patients.
