HOW TECHNOLOGY IS HELPING SURGEONS TARGET TUMORS WHILE PRESERVING FUNCTION AND QUALITY OF LIFE

From advanced imaging to robotics, from fluorescence dyes to proton beams, technology is helping surgeons walk this tightrope more effectively than ever before.

- By Dr. Surender Kumar Dabas, Chairman, Manipal Comprehensive Cancer Centre and Onco Robotic Surgeries, North-West Cluster

Among all the health challenges, cancer remains one of the most pressing conditions. Globally, survival rates have improved due to earlier detection and better therapies, but for many patients, life after surgery often comes with its struggles. Removing tumors from sensitive areas like the brain, spine, head and neck, or pelvis has always been risky because it could hurt the nerves, muscles, and vital organs that allow us to talk, move, or live independently. With the help of technology today, surgeons can now remove or reduce cancers while protecting quality of the lives of people. They can do this with advanced imaging, which highlights tumors in detail, robotic tools that work with millimeter precision, and radiation beams that stop exactly where the tumor ends.

This change is especially important in India, where the number of cancer cases is steadily rising. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) says that India sees more than 1.3 million new cases each year, and this number is expected to rise in the next ten years. In this situation, the challenge is more than just staying alive. It's also about making sure that patients can go back At the heart of modern cancer surgery lies the ability to “see” what was once invisible.

Advances in Cancer Imaging

At the heart of modern cancer surgery lies the ability to “see” what was once invisible. Traditional X-rays and CT scans gave doctors rough outlines of tumors. Cancers, on the other hand, rarely grow in neat shapes, instead, they infiltrate tissues, spread along nerves, and sometimes resemble healthy tissues. Modern technologies like advanced functional imaging, PET-CT, and MRI take things a step further.

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI):