Actor Ilias Kanchan undergoes brain cancer treatment, lacks 'cohesion'

Film actor Ilias Kanchan recently flew back to Bangladesh following some medical treatments in the UK. The actor and president of the Safe Road Movement (NiSCHA) had been receiving treatment in the United Kingdom for over 15 months.

Kanchan had been undergoing medical care in London, UK, since April last year after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. He will fly back to the UK again on August 12.

His treatment has been continuing at a hospital there and at his daughter Ema Islam's residence. Last August, he underwent brain surgery at a London hospital. Although doctors removed a large portion of the tumour, they could not remove the entire tumour due to risks. Later, doctors informed him that he had brain cancer.

Since then, he has received 100 sessions of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. According to Lipton Ershad, vice-president of the Safe Road Movement (NiSCHA), Elias Kanchan, who recently returned home, does not have "normality" in him anymore. Speaking to Agamir Somoy on Saturday, Lipton Ershad said, "Ilias Kanchan bhai's movements no longer have that normal quality. He recognises many people, but also does not recognise many others. He cannot remember many things. For example, yesterday we offered Jum'ah prayers together. As soon as the prayer ended, his condition began to deteriorate, and we took him home."

Lipton Ershad informed that this condition is mainly due to the effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He said, "He has been given a total of 100 therapies combining chemotherapy and radiotherapy. That takes a toll on the body. That is why he is in this state. However, the good news is that due to the chemo, the size of the tumour has shrunk significantly. The chemo and radiotherapy are now over. Now he needs to go and have a CT scan and MRI done."

Yesterday (Friday), Elias Kanchan attended the 11th grand rally of the Safe Road Movement held at the National Theatre Hall auditorium of Shilpakala Academy in the capital. Ilias Kanchan said, "Thirty-three years ago, I turned a deep personal grief into a movement to save people's lives. Today, that movement has become the movement of the people of the entire country. It is no longer Ilias Kanchan's movement; it is the movement of the people of Bangladesh."