The Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies on Ageing (CISA), Moul Mouj Foundation (MMF), in collaboration with GK Labs, organized a workshop on Early Detection and Screening of Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers for paramedics and medical professionals under the Cancer Care Project, conducted under the guidance of Project Advisor, Dr. M. Ashraf Teli, Senior Radiation Oncologist at Kashmir Clinics Central, Srinagar.
The workshop aimed to strengthen the capacity of frontline healthcare providers, who are often the first point of contact for patients, to identify early warning signs of GI cancers, provide appropriate counselling, and refer high-risk individuals for timely specialist evaluation.
Experts highlighted that persistent difficulty in swallowing, unexplained weight loss, prolonged abdominal pain, blood in stools or black stools, persistent change in bowel habits, unexplained anaemia, jaundice, and loss of appetite should never be ignored.
They emphasized that people above 45 years, those with a family history of cancer, tobacco or alcohol use, obesity, diabetes, chronic liver disease, and inflammatory bowel disease require greater vigilance. Participants were also updated on recommended screening methods, including stool occult blood testing, colonoscopy for eligible individuals, upper GI endoscopy in selected patients, and liver surveillance in high-risk groups.
A major highlight of the workshop was a session by Shihaab Shakeel, Advisor and Volunteer with Moul Mouj Foundation, who has recently completed his Masters from Cardiff University, UK.
He discussed the importance of digitisation of healthcare records for cancer research, explaining how high-quality electronic medical records strengthen cancer registries, long-term patient follow-up, epidemiological studies, AI-driven research, evidence-based healthcare planning, and precision medicine. He emphasized that robust digital health records are becoming the backbone of modern cancer research and future healthcare innovation.
The organizers said that empowering frontline healthcare workers with knowledge of early cancer detection can significantly reduce delays in diagnosis and improve cancer outcomes. CISA, MMF and GK Labs reaffirmed their commitment to advancing cancer awareness, research, and capacity building through the Cancer Care Project.
