Bangalore: The Afro-Asian Conference of Transitional Research in oncology (ACTRO) kicked-started in Bangalore today. The three-day conference will bring together oncologists from Asia and Africa, to discuss the need for personalized cancer care and a repository of cancer-based research in the country.

The conference began with research topics, focused on personalized medicine, organ and functional preservation in breast cancer, hematology and stem cell transplant and cardio-thoracic oncology. With Bangalore having the highest incidence of cancer cases (113.4 males and 139.1 females for every 1,00,000 males and females) among the key cities in India, there has been an urgent call to action to debate existing cancer care, treatments and research-based medicine which ACTRO aims to address.

At ACTRO, Dr B S Ajaikumar, president, Association for Transitional Research in Oncology (ATRO) said, "India as a country has immense potential to be one of the leaders in oncology research with its burgeoning cancer population and comprehensive cancer care centers. The theme of the conference is 'From Bedside to Benchmark' with a focus on superior cancer care for patients through futuristic technology to improve the quality of life."

"Due to dearth of research in India, we have been depending on the western population data to manage the problem. ACTRO 2013 will act as a platform for Oncologists to analyze our own cancer care treatment outcomes, through efficient documentation and data management," he added.