WALTHAM, MA—Early diagnosis of any disease, especially cancer, is the first step towards its cure. In an exclusive video interview in INE MultiMedia’s Health Talk series, Dr. Manju Sheth talks to three experts about breast cancer, cervical and ovarian cancer and on how to detect these deadly diseases early. They also talk about menopause and HPV vaccine.
Please click here to watch the exclusive video interview with Dr. Hetal Verma, MD, Director of Breast Imaging at Cambridge Health Alliance and Co-Director of the Harvard Medical School Radiology Clerkship; Dr.Tara Singh, MD, OB/GYN Staff Physician at Cambridge Health Alliance and Clinical Clerkship Director and Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School; and Dr. Manasa Patna, MD, Clinical Instructor in OB/GYN and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School and Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine.
The three experts will also speak at the upcoming Mega Health Expo on April 19, 2015, at Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA. The event is free for attendees, and is organized by INE MultiMedia, Inc., a non-profit company that promotes health, education and empowerment.
“In this interview focusing on women’s health, we have addressed some very important topics in three segments: cancer, menopause and HPV vaccine,” said Dr. Sheth, Chair of Mega Health & Wellness Expo 2015. “Breast, cervical and ovarian cancer can be devastating. Early detection is the key which can save lives.”
She said menopause is an important health topic which is not openly discussed in the South Asian community.
Here are some important facts about cancer among women compiled from various news sources and journals:
• In 2014, an estimated 232,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women in the U.S., along with 62,570 new cases of non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.
• About 40,000 women in the U.S. were expected to die in 2014 from breast cancer.
• In 2014, there were more than 2.8 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S.
• About 79 million Americans are currently infected with HPV.
• Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among American women.
• 12.9 per 100,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year.
• About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime.
Here are the brief bios of our experts:
Dr. Hetal Verma, MD
Dr. Verma is the Director of Breast Imaging at Cambridge Health Alliance. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and then completed radiology residency training at UMass Memorial Medical Center. She then continued her training with a fellowship in Breast Imaging at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She is passionate about helping women through the early detection of breast cancer. She is particularly interested in the South Asian population and the growing need for early diagnosis in this population. Dr. Verma also enjoys teaching and serves as a Co-Director for the Harvard Medical School Radiology clerkship at Cambridge Health Alliance. She is a member of Rad-Aid International and plans to visit Chandigarh in the upcoming year to volunteer for Asha Jyoti, a mobile women’s health imaging clinic which provides free screening and follow-up care to thousands of underserved women in northern India.
Dr. Tara Singh, MD
Dr. Singh is OB/GYN Staff Physician at Cambridge Health Alliance and Clinical Clerkship Director and Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School. She became an OB/GYN doctor because she likes the breadth of the specialty — being able to treat women of all ages from childhood to post-menopause. Dr. Singh believes that women are often the glue that holds families together but many women put their own needs last. “I am delighted to be able to put women’s needs first, showing them how important it is to remain healthy. I especially appreciate the uniqueness of my Cambridge Health Alliance,” says Dr. Singh, who enjoys traveling, reading, running, figure skating and skiing.
Dr. Manasa Patna, MD
Dr. Patna is a Ob/Gyn doctor at Cambridge Health Alliance, and a Clinical Instructor in OB/GYN and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School and Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine. She attended Harvard Medical School and holds a Masters in Global and Community Health from Harvard School of Public Health. “I became an OB/GYN physician because I have a passion for women’s health — I am committed to improving women’s health both locally and abroad,” says Dr. Patna. “I have worked in India, Indonesia and Malawi to help women gain access to quality obstetric and gynecologic care.” Outside of work Dr. Patna loves to travel and enjoys the water and scuba dive.
(Editor’s note: Views expressed here and in the video are the opinions of the speakers. On your health issues, please consult your own physician.)
