Suraj Manjunath 
February 4th was observed as ‘World Cancer Day.’ The global theme for this year was ‘Close The Care Gap’ – overcoming socio-economic barriers and making cancer care accessible to all. Manipal Hospitals held an awareness program on account of World Cancer Day. While I had surgery scheduled, and could not be a part of the … Read more
However experienced a surgeon is, upgrading skills is always important. There is always something new to learn. One must be humble in order to keep learning, because anyone can be a teacher – from seniormost colleagues to juniormost students, from operating theatre nurses to technicians. Last week, my learning was through an animal – a … Read more
Celebrations foster togetherness. People working together get to know each other better in an informal setting, building companionship and trust. I was reminded of this during an impromptu get-together of the Departments of Surgical Oncology and Medical Oncology at Manipal Comprehensive Cancer Center last week to mark the New Year. Thanks to my colleague Dr … Read more
No matter how grown up we may be, we all need a Santa sometimes. And sometimes, we get to be a Santa to others. I came across this heartwarming letter on Pinterest – “You’ll need to be able to believe in things you can’t measure or hold in your hands. Now you know the secret … Read more
In the current era of multi-modal cancer therapy, designing a personalized treatment plan for cancer is challenging. Patients, their families, and oncologists have to contend with a multitude of factors. These factors come under three categories – disease factors, patient factors, and environmental factors. Disease factors: the primary site of cancer, stage at diagnosis, type … Read more
A long and tiring day of surgery. Afterward, there are still rounds to do, pre-operative and post-operative patients to be seen. Lab reports to go through and act upon. Then read up for a difficult surgery the following day. But there is a short time before all that. A moment to bask in the glow … Read more
October is observed as the Breast Cancer Awareness month. Across the world, an effort is made to spread awareness about this disease, which is currently the most common cancer in women. This year, our hospital team came up with a unique initiative to educate people about Breast Cancer. We researched the most common questions on … Read more
41-year-old Ravindran had come down to Bangalore from San Francisco for a family visit. When he took his father for an annual health check-up, he thought he may as well get one himself. To his and his family’s surprise, a routine abdominal ultrasound showed that Ravindran had a 4 cm tumor in his right kidney, … Read more
I have been attending surgical conferences since the late 1990s. Early in my career, I would attend them with the sole intention of learning from leaders and pioneers in my field. For me, a three-day event would be crammed with attending early morning to late evening lectures and seminars, often juggling talks happening simultaneously at … Read more
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women – in India as well as across the world. October is observed as ‘Breast Cancer Awareness Month’. Earlier this week, I found a thought-provoking article by Ms. Pallavi Aiyar in The Times Of India., who describes her experience with breast cancer. Sharing the link here-https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/switching-passports-to-the-kingdom-of-the-sick/ … Read more