Highlights: NDTV-Fortis 8-Hour Cancerthon

NDTV-Fortis Cancerthon raises close to Rs. 3 crores for treatment of children with cancer. To donate, click here: goo.gl/1j0Sci

Dr. Prannoy Roy says, "Big C is not Cancer, anymore. The C now stands for curable." NDTV contributes Rs. 10 lakhs for the treatment of childhood cancer during the Cancerthon.

Actor Arjun Kapoor lost his mother to cancer. He shared his experience on the Cancerthon: There aren't enough doctors and support systems. My mother couldn't cope with the exhaustion though she had the facilities and will to live. Every time she went to the hospital she wanted to come back home, the atmoshpere in the hospital was just not working for her. Also, economics should not play a role in how people are treated. My mom didn't make it, this is when she had all the facilities but imagine the number of people who can make it, but don't get the facilities.

Emraan Hashmi joined the Cancerthon over the phone line to share his experience with cancer. His son successfully fought a rare kind of kidney cancer. Emraan's son is now one year cancer free and he is taken for regular check ups. Emraan said that chances of survival for a child in case of cancer has improved globally and that is good news.

The problem with cancer is lack of awareness and everybody thinks that it cannot happen to me: Shahid Kapoor, Actor

It is god who gives and it is he who takes away as well: Ashok Kumar & Beena Devi, parents of Sachin who passed away recently 10 year old Sachin was detected with blood cancer last year. His treatment was going well. However, he lost his eyesight post chemotherapy. Then his treatment required Rs 60,000 per injection to stabilize his condition. He passed away as his family couldn't afford the treatment.

We are working on how to use body's own immune system to treat cancer. In US, vaccine has been found to be very effective against cervical cancer. So girls should be vaccinated:
Dr. Carl H. June, Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy - Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Yuvraj's message to those fighting cancer: If Yuvi can, you can!

Cricketer Yuvraj Singh shares his experience about how he discovered he had cancer: After the world cup victory, I was playing 20:20 tournament and I was coughing a lot and had difficulty in breathing. When doctor asked me to get an X-ray done but I was avoiding it as I felt that there was something serious and I wanted to avoid the check-up. Even during the world cup I was coughing blood, so I knew there was something serious, though I didn't realise it was going to be cancer.

Initially, we just did not believe that Yuvraj had cancer: Shabnam Singh, Cricketer Yuvraj Singh's Mother

Can vaccines prevent cancer?

'Don't worry be happy,' sings Anu Malik to lighten the mood at Cancerthon.

To donate for the treatment of children fighting cancer, click here: goo.gl/1j0Sci

Mostly people associate cancer with death sentence. To me Yuvraj Singh's story of cancer survival is really inspirational: Anu Malik during Cancerthon

Advancement in the Genomic area will lead to some breakthrough in cancer treatment. Prices of cancer drugs are coming down as more and more research is taking place: G V Prasad, Co-Chairman & CEO, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Limited

Experts on the Cancerthon panel discuss how certain areas in Punjab and Malwa region see high concentration of cancer cases. These could be due to high use of pesticides and exposure to banned chemicals and heavy metals in the environment of Punjab, in water and soil. This risk has now percolated into the food chain that is posing a huge threat in these regions. You see healthy women getting breast cancer and some of them have breast fed their children.

Cancer can break you completely, I used it to strengthen myself. More than the body, cancer scares the mind: Manisha Koirala, Actor and Cancer Survivor interacts with children suffering from cancer and their parents at St Jude's, a cancer home for children in Mumbai.

Genomics will make all the difference in our understanding of cancer and its treatment:
Dr. Mammen Chandy, Director of Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata. Dr. Chandy is the current Chair of the Human Genome Task Force, Dept of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India

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