Surviving Blood Cancer

By Piyumi Fonseka

To be told that you have blood cancer is a life-changing moment. After the initial shock, many people wonder, "now what?". The once-fatal disease is often now treatable and sometimes curable, thanks to breakthroughs in treatments performed at the blood cancer unit at Lanka Hospitals.

Cancer may develop practically everywhere in the body, including the bloodstream. These disorders, often known as haematological cancers or blood cancers, impair the synthesis and function of blood cells. Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are some of the well-known diseases in this group of cancers. However, recent discoveries have made many of these once fatal cancers not only manageable, but in many instances curable.
Established in November 2013, Lanka Hospital's blood cancer programme is staffed by a highly trained and experienced team of medical professionals whose expertise has brought patients from all over the globe for the diagnosis and treatment of blood cancers and associated illnesses.

Muneera Ali is one individual who has profited from all of this knowledge and experience. Muneera, 51, from the Maldives, was diagnosed with myeloma in 2018, a kind of cancer of white blood cells that create disease- and infection-fighting antibodies in the body. She was filled with emotion when she learned of her diagnosis.

“I experienced soreness in my right hand that didn’t go away for a few months. In the Maldives, I saw many physicians who were unable to detect anything severe. Meanwhile, the discomfort became increasingly severe. I had heard about the healthcare system in Sri Lanka from family members who had successfully undergone treatment at Lanka Hospitals,” said Muneera.

Treatments for leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma including bone marrow transplants are available at Lanka Hospitals since it may be the only private hospital in Sri Lanka to have a centre solely devoted to blood cancer therapy in the country.

The day after her diagnosis at Lanka Hospitals, Muneera met with Dr. Saman Hewamana, the Clinical Haematologist/Haemato-Oncologist at the blood cancer unit, who immediately started a treatment plan. The more times Muneera visited with Dr. Hewamana and his staff, the less worried she became. According to the doctors, viable therapies for multiple myeloma exist and was more of a chronic disease than the death sentence it was just a decade ago.

“Thankfully, I came to know about Dr. Saman, who immediately started treatments for me. From the second chemotherapy, I felt I was improving. So far, I have done six cycles of chemotherapies and a bone marrow transplant. I couldn’t even stand up without assistance. After recovering, I worked in an office as well. I am grateful to the hospital staff, from doctors to hospital attendants and cleaners. I am sharing my story to bring encouragement to most who believe that there is no cure for blood cancer, "Muneera said.

For 57-year-old Jayashanka Basnayake of Gampola, it all began with fatigue while working in Iraq in February 2021. It reached a crisis with major body pains and tests revealed his kidneys were failing.

"I was working in Iraq for a German agency in a humanitarian mission pertaining to rehabilitation in the war-affected areas. I used to walk about 5 km every morning. In February 2021, I started feeling exhausted for no reason. I couldn’t even walk 500 m. The situation didn’t get better. Although my employer recommended that I go to Germany or France for treatment, I came to Sri Lanka because my family was here, "said Jayashanka.

Soon after arriving to Sri Lanka, he met Dr. Hewamana and started chemotherapy treatment. After a few rounds of treatment that he underwent, cancerous cells were killed. Jayashanka also underwent a bone marrow transplant in which the expertise of the unit is one of the many assets that make the unit an ideal place to get treatment.

“My kidneys weren't functioning and I was on dialysis and I had multiple myeloma, which weakened my immune system, so I was a little apprehensive. Dr. Hewamana, on the other hand, gave me hope for the future and suggested my ailment may be treated. I placed my faith in the experts at Lanka Hospital's blood cancer programme because of their stellar reputation. Now I am not only independent enough to work, but I am also planning to fly to Iraq again for my job, "Jayashanka stated.

He also emphasized that patients with blood cancer should not give up hope or get overwhelmed by information on the internet, but instead seek the help of a doctor who can help them battle the disease.
What made the blood cancer unit at Lanka Hospitals so unique and effective? Dr. Hewamana summed it up thusly: discipline. He is a specialist in Clinical Haematology/Haemato-Oncology with nearly 20 years of expertise treating blood malignancies in the United Kingdom.

“We practice multi-disciplinary approaches to treatment and diagnostics of patients with blood cancer and blood disorders, according to UK protocols, and their response and survival parameters are on par with Western countries.  You become an expert in a certain field if you devote yourself to it for an extended length of time. Our nurses are trained only to treat patients with blood cancer.  The dedication of our doctors, nurses and other members of our clinical team is what consistently earns us this level of success and acclaim," Dr. Hewamana remarked.

Patients with blood cancer need the expertise of a blood cancer unit with a specialised team of doctors and nurses who are well-versed in the care of blood cancer to guarantee a successful result. This is even more important in the event of a COVID-19 pandemic.

"I'm not doing it alone. Our general oncologists particularly Dr. Jayantha Balawardena, haematologist, transfusion consultants, cancer surgeons, microbiologists and laboratory personnel are all highly skilled and devoted. If the right strategies are in place, what we are doing is not a hard thing for others to follow."

Those diagnosed with leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma are more susceptible to infection, which is the leading cause of mortality in these patients. Speaking of this, he said, "It is our duty as a hospital to make sure that no infection, no matter how little, kills a blood cancer patient. In this unit, we have a level of discipline and organisation that is unmatched in Sri Lanka."