Heena Sharma Blog

Patients suffering from cancer and those treated with chemotherapy may be at 40 per cent increased risk of developing shingles, compared with those not having cancer, finds a new study. Shingles (herpes zoster) -- marked by painful rashes and skin blisters -- is caused by the varicella zoster virus that causes chickenpox. The virus remains dormant in the body but causes shingles if it reactivates later in life. The study showed that patients with a blood-related cancer had the greatest shingles risk of more than three times compared to people without cancer, the Health Day reported. The higher risk among blood cancer patients was present two years before their cancer diagnosis. In addition, those with a solid tumour including cancer in the lung, breast, prostate or other organs had a 30 per cent higher risk of shingles than people without cancer, lead researcher Jiahui Qian from the University of New South Wales in Australia was quoted as saying. Read More

Doctors at a Coimbatore based hospital have successfully removed an ovarian tumor weighing 33.5kgs. The patient, Vasantha, is an agricultural laborer from Ooty. She ignored the growing size of her stomach as she felt no pain or discomfort but was compelled to take medical help as her abdomen became larger with time and she started experiencing pain. Local surgeons, after conducting necessary tests, concluded that she has an ovarian tumor; however they refused to undertake a surgery citing slim chances of survival for Vasantha . "Pain was the main cause and it was unbearable. I was not able to walk, not able to have proper food and also suffered from breathlessness. Then I finally decided to visit a doctor," said the patient. She got to know about a Coimbatore based hospital, where a team of doctors, including Dr. Senthil Kumar, Dr. Piyush, Dr. Anita, and Dr. Satish Kumar, successfully removed her tumor. Read Complete Article Business Standard