'Women can conceive after surviving cancer'

Cancer survivors can still conceive after cure. Many breast cancer survivors have conceived without medical intervention, says Dr K S Gopinath, director, HCG Cancer Care, a private chain of cancer hospitals.

Even otherwise, work is on to help them conceive through the in vitro fertilization, he told Deccan Herald on the sidelines of the Global Cancer Summit 2015 which began here on Wednesday. “There is at least 10-15 per cent increase in the incidence of breast cancer in Bengaluru, mostly in the child-bearing age,” he said. In short, there are good chances of entering parenthood after fully recovering from cancer.

Dr Gopinath say that no medical literature is available on this in India, though it is well-known abroad. “We have come across three cases of natural childbirth by cancer survivors,” he said. At the hospital, they suggest that patients opt for yoga therapy after treatment. “This will improve the quality of life,” he added.

Ideally, there should be a gap of at least two and a half years between recovery and pregnancy. “Cancer survivors must complete their treatment and give a good gap for recovery. There are many women who conceive within six months of being cured and refuse to tell this to even doctors as it is going against their advice,” he said. At HCG, doctors see 1,500 new cases every year, and patients are mostly aged 40-60, he added.