How to Prevent Cancer – The Pathologist Who Is Also an Artist Explains
Dr. Mohammad Kamal is in the business of cancer diagnosis, or more accurately, in the business of cancer prevention, he says. A recent guest on The Adiel Gorel Show, he is a most interesting personality. While he was born in the United States, he was educated in Egypt. After this, he returned to the States for his postgraduate in medicine. Apart from the fact that he straddles dual cultures in a sense, he also has very varied abilities apart from medicine. He is an artist who creates unique pieces of art from the cell samples that arrive at this path lab. He also plays croquet competitively. Most importantly, he is passionate about preventing cancer. He has a wealth of insight to share, as is evident from my podcast discussion with him.
Early cancer diagnosis is the key.
Cancer is a terrible disease – fortunately, early detection can mean a high rate of treatment success. – Dr. Mohammad Kamal
Dr. Kamal examines the samples that they receive at the path lab to catch cancer as early as possible. A person’s best chance of beating cancer is if it is detected early. This gives medical professionals the best chance to treat the cancer successfully. While an actual cure for cancer will remain realistically difficult, prevention is very much possible, says Dr. Kamal.
When it comes to cancer, prevention is definitely better than cure. We all know that cancer treatments can be pretty grim. Genetic factors, environmental factors such as chemical exposures, and lifestyle and personal habits can all contribute to the mutations that result in cancer. Making lifestyle changes can certainly help to mitigate cancer risk. With timely cancer diagnosis, a patient can be given targeted treatment that is personalized to his or her requirements. The prognosis can then be very good indeed.
Screening protocols are vitally important.
Dr. Kamal speaks about the HPV infection that is responsible for several types of cancer in the body, such as cervical cancer, throat cancer, and anal cancer. The difference in the outcomes of these different cancers is often down to the screening protocols that are set out for them. For example, instances of squamous cell carcinoma, which is a type of throat cancer, are actually increasing. On the other hand, rates of cervical cancer are falling. This, says Dr. Kamal, is due to the fact that screening for cervical cancer via a Pap test or a Pap smear is something women are routinely advised to undergo. This has made early cervical cancer diagnosis possible while it is in its treatable stage.
Dr. Kamal would like a similar testing protocol to be put into place for throat cancers. His idea is to involve dental hygienists and dentists in the process. These are medical professionals who would easily be able to carry out a simple swab test that could act as an early warning system in cancer diagnosis. He shared his idea at the California Dental Association, and some dentists have started to test in this way. If people are found to test positive, they can then be treated in accordance with standard operating procedures.
Educating people about preventive measures, risk factors, and screening procedures for early cancer diagnosis is the key to positive cancer outcomes, says Dr. Kamal. He believes that medical professionals have to be proactive in creating systems that help to do this. To know more about preventing cancer and improving outcomes, listen to my podcast with Dr. Mohammad Kamal.
