IACAN Wants You! For SAHNA Study, That Is !

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: With all the medical professionals of South Asian origin walking the hallways of the Texas Medical Center and all the other healthcare facilities in this Bayou City, it would seem obvious that the Indo-American community would be at the forefront of getting attention for matters close to their own needs. Ironically, it turns out that, while there are three charitable clinics (Indian Doctors Charity Clinic in Bellaire, the Indian Doctor’s Clinic in India House and the Ibn Sina Clinic on Wilcrest) and a few other non-profits (notably Friends Helping Friends) which provide free or subsidized care to people – not just South Asians – we have been deficient in knowing just what the community’s health needs really are.

It took a young organization that is still cutting its teeth to figure that out, with a non-healthcare professional at its helm. Kanchan Kabad, the President of the Indo American Cancer Network, alluded to the need for an assessment of needs in the last IACAN meeting held on June 30, and revealed the entire scope of what it would entail in the group’s community presentation held on the afternoon of Saturday, August 10 at India House.

“Two years ago, then Indian Consul General Sanjeev Arora was present when we launched IACAN,” said Kabad. “We’re honored that the present CG, Parvathaneni Harish is with us as we launch the South Asian Health Needs Assessment study.”

In its brief existence, IACAN has been busy in disseminating information on how patients can get assistance of all sorts on cancer – from government funding for home healthcare, supplies, prosthesis, wigs and social security; to diets that can help; to alternative therapies that can make the pain and discomfort more bearable. It’s April 28 alternate therapies event was attended by a huge crowd at the VPSS. With four oncologists on its Board, ICAN has developed a Survivorship Network, given dietary advice on Indian cuisine, developed a recipe book and worked with M.D. Anderson Cancer Center to add a Hindu deity (to be installed soon) in its Spirituality Room.

“We want people to know that with IACAN, you are not alone in the fight against Cancer,” Kabad stated. IACAN offers information on nutrition guidelines, has an education outreach program, assists with getting a second opinion and runs a Bone Marrow Registry first conceived by Dr. Parmeswaran nearly 15 years ago.

“Indians are a significant minority but haven’t gotten counted last year in health assessments,” explained Dr. Sewa Singh Legha, an extremely eminent and experienced oncologist who retired from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center but still practices in the US and India. “We were lumped in together as Asians, but as we all know, our disease profile, life spans, genetics and contributing factors are all different.”

SAHNA should allow researchers to mine significant relevant data on Indians, which so far has been of poor quality. The Bone Marrow registry is still small compared to the 20 million from the mainstream. Indians suffer from a triple threat of high carbohydrates, high sugar and high fats. As a consequence, many suffer from metabolic syndrome, unique lipid profiles, different risks of metabolic diseases and a different spectrum of cancers with poor outcomes. “We see many unique cancers in India that we don’t see here in the US,” said Legha.

Dr. Mala Pande added that though Indians are a model minority, “we don’t have a lot of data to go by.” Pande has been in Houston for 10 years at the Dept. of Epidemiology and has collaborated with MDACC. She explained that a large population from the Houston area needed to be sampled to better gauge health behaviors, barriers to care and compare them against other minorities and the general population.

Consul General Harish is well-regarded for his thoughtful insights and agreed that in India, “problems of diet and habit have accentuated cancers, primarily oral cancers. Over 40% of the population in India lives in cities and we now have to deal with lifestyle diseases.” He lamented the woefully short time doctors in India spend explaining ailments to patients and the lack of physicians in the rural areas, all of which contribute to a general lack of health education among the general population. He welcomed the SAHNA study, saying it was “better late than never.”

Pane explained that the SAHNA survey needs a sample of 1,500 people; one member per household, at least 18 years old, preferably born in India and willing to take the survey on electronic tablet or hard copy. This general health survey is funded by the generous donation of an anonymous donor and uses no federal funding. The organizers hope to kick it off at the Indian Independence Day celebration organized by the ICC this coming Sunday, August 25 at the Stafford Civic Centre. A future survey will pare the data down to different categories. “The 3 month long survey will cover Houston and its four surrounding counties here,” said Legha.