Tata Trusts, TMC, NCG unite to make cancer expertise affordable

Mumbai: In a move to standardize cancer care nationally, Tata Trusts and Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) have brought together experts from National Cancer Grid (NCG) to grow the Navya expert opinion service.

This service provides people diagnosed with cancer to get an expert opinion and treatment options from the world's leading experts, irrespective of their geographical location or understanding of medical information, Tata Trusts said in a release issued here.

"Cancer care has been a key focus area for us with numerous interventions directed at improving treatment protocols as well as reducing the incidence through screening and early detection. Enabling the convergence between the Navya system and TMC and NCG experts is another significant step in this direction," Tata Trusts head health portfolio HSD Srinivas said.

He said expert decisions through TMC and NCG specialists, can now maximise patient outcomes including increase lifespan or number of cancer free years, improve quality of life, no matter the stage and type of cancer.

TMC is one of the world's largest tertiary care cancer centers and convenes the National Cancer Grid, a consortium of 89 cancer hospitals in India.

Navya is a leading clinical informatics and patient services organisation in cancer decision making.

Leveraging the Navya decision system and team of committed patient advocates, Tata Trusts has empowered over 5,000 cancer patients, pan-India and from over 20 developing countries in Asia and Africa, with evidence and experience-based information.

Experts from TMC and NCG volunteer their expert opinion in conjunction with the Navya system to empower cancer patients and treating oncologists from northeast to urban India, from Bangladesh to Mozambique, from remote cancer centers in Bihar to large hospitals in Delhi, from below poverty line (BPL) card holders to affluent patients.