'No single magic formula for cancer,' say oncologists slamming Sidhu's claims

Chemotherapy surgery or radiation forms the backbone of the treatment against cancer and there is no single magic formula against the disease said oncologists on Monday while slamming former cricketer and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhursquos recent claims of his wife being cured of the deadly disease via dietThe oncologists slammed Sidhu a former Member of the Rajya Sabha for ldquocreating sensationalismrdquo and misguiding peopleIn a recent press conference in Amritsar Punjab Sidhu described his wife Navjot Kaurs treatment for her breast cancer as starving cancer by not eating dairy products and sugar In the widely circulated video on social media Sidhu said that his wife ldquoconsumed haldi turmeric and neem which helped cure her lsquoincurablersquo cancerAlso ReadUnproven remedies Tata Memorial Hospital slams Navjot Singh Sidhursquos viral lsquodiet curersquo cancer claimldquoCancer is not one disease treated by a single magic formula The treatment strategy is based on the subtype of cancer specific genetic changes in the particular cancer cells organ of origin extent of spread of disease at the time of diagnosis and host of factorsrdquo Dr Harit Chaturvedi Chairman Max Institute of Cancer Care told IANSldquoThe treatment of cancer is because of either chemotherapy surgery or radiation This forms the backbone of the treatment The other adjuncts like the diet control or diet rearrangements or the natural ingredients cannot replace the treatmentrdquo added Dr Pritam Kataria Consultant Medical Oncology Sir HN Reliance Foundation HospitalIn the press conference Sidhu revealed that his wife was given a 5 per cent chance to survive However she overcame stage 4 cancer following a simple dietary and lifestyle regimenAfter Sidhursquos viral video oncologists claimed that he had done major harm to society by misguiding people over the disease which claims more than 9 lakh lives annually in IndiaNotably Sidhu had in June tweeted about Kaur successfully undergoing chemotherapy sessions under ldquoDrRupinder Batra Former Tata Memorial Oncologist at Waryam Singh Hospital YamunanagarrdquoIn an open letter posted on LinkedIn Dr Abhishek Shankar Assistant Professor Department of Radiation Oncology Dr BR Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital at AIIMS Delhi called out the former cricketer for spreading misinformationldquoWe expect a lot from a public figure like you when it comes to overcoming the myth among the general population to boost cancer care in India Despite the best efforts more than 9 lakh people are dying from cancer every year in India and the reason for many deaths is misinformationrdquo Shankar saidldquoThe general public might lose the best opportunities to get cured by just adopting your advice seriouslyrdquo Shankar saidHe noted that ldquoneem and turmeric may have potential health benefits but there is no scientific evidence that they can cure cancerrdquoldquoThe idea that lsquosugar feeds cancerrsquo oversimplifies how the body and cancer cells use energy Eliminating sugar from the diet will not starve cancer cells but may lead to nutritional imbalances and that may be fatal for cancer patients A balanced diet is crucial for maintaining strength and supporting treatment outcomes and may contain sugar and dairy productsrdquo he added in the letterMany other oncologists claimed that Sidhursquos video promoting home remedies for cancer has done ldquolongterm harm to societyrdquo With the video going viral in WhatsApp groups more people are likely to choose home remedies over proper cancer treatment resulting in countless preventable deathsldquoClaims of curing cancer through diet alone lack scientific validation Treatment plans should integrate diet as a complementary approach rather than a standalone solution tailored to the individualrsquos cancer type and overall conditionrdquo Dr Mandeep Singh Malhotra Director of Surgical Oncology at CK Birla Hospital Delhi told IANSldquoWe appeal to the people not to get misguided by such stories that lack scientific and data scrutiny Such anecdotes are generally not shared with honesty for any good but are shared to create sensationalismrdquo Chaturvedi saidAlso ReadlsquoIt was shockingrsquo How to manage being a family caregiver for a cancer patientThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever