Page 25 - Essentia Vol 5 Issue 1

VOL V | ISSUE I | 5 AUGUST 2026 VOL V | ISSUE I | 5 AUGUST 2026
A BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER OF ASSAM CANCER CARE FOUNDATION A BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER OF ASSAM CANCER CARE FOUNDATION

When Cure

Was Beyond Reach,

Hope Was Not

A Journey with Palliative
Radiotherapy and
Metronomic Chemotherapy

Lt Col (Dr) Nishant Lohia
Consultant, Radiation Oncologist Cancer should challenge the disease
Kokrajhar Cancer Centre not the dignity, livelihood,
or future of the family fighting it.

ancer care is often associated with psychological distress. At this stage, treatment
advanced therapies, targeted drugs and focused on palliation: controlling symptoms,
Cimmunotherapy. While these treatments preventing further complications and improving
have improved outcomes for many patients, quality of life.
access remains difficult for several families in
resource-limited settings. Even then, meaningful The treatment approach
benefit can often be achieved through affordable, The patient received palliative radiotherapy to the
carefully planned treatment. neck mass, followed by maintenance treatment
This case shows how palliative radiotherapy and with oral metronomic chemotherapy.
oral metronomic chemotherapy (OMCT) can offer The treatment plan was designed to balance
symptom relief, disease control and dignity when disease control, financial constraints and the
cure is no longer the primary goal. patient’s quality of life.

The challenge
What is Oral Metronomic
A middle-aged man from a socio-economically
disadvantaged background presented with a large Chemotherapy?
fungating malignant growth on the left side of the
neck and lower face. Over several months, the tumour Metronomic chemotherapy involves
had caused pain, bleeding, foul-smelling discharge, giving low-dose oral anticancer
difficulty in daily activities and social embarrassment. medicines continuously over a longer
The disease was locally advanced, and his period. It is relatively affordable,
financial situation limited access to newer convenient and may help slow tumour
systemic therapies such as immunotherapy. The growth while keeping side effects
visible tumour also led to social isolation and manageable.

24 The greatest victories begin with hope. 25