Cancer – The word itself is enough to give us chills! It is one of the deadliest diseases in the world. It asks for emotional, physical and financial patience from the people who are diagnosed with cancer and their family members. To fight against cancer, lot of physical and mental strength is required as the treatment goes on for long period of time. Also, the technology and equipment needed to treat cancer should be advanced enough thus, making it an expensive treatment.
Cancer is becoming the major cause of death amongst people all over the world. Thus, the need for cancer treatment is increasing.
But the question is where can we get the best cancer treatment?
India is a country which is developing at a very fast pace. Thus, it has all the latest technology and techniques which are at par with the rest of the world. There are other developed countries like US, UK, Australia, etc. where one can get the best cancer treatment, but it is highly expensive. India is the country where patients from all over the world can come and get the best cancer treatment at affordable costs thus, making it the best choice.
It has cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad which have all the hi-tech facilities and treatments. These cities are very well connected with the rest of the world thus making it easier for patients to come from abroad. For more information about Cancer treatment in India, you can click here.
Advanced Technology
The Cancer Hospitals in India have advanced cancer care units and latest equipment to treat this dreaded disease. It has Da Vinci Robotic Surgery system which is used to perform surgery assisted by robots thus increasing more accuracy. Cyber Knife Surgery, a non-invasive pain free robotic radiation therapy with no side effects is the new addition. Also, Proton Therapy which is very expensive treatment option available only in few countries is available in India at Apollo Hospital, Chennai.
Cost of Cancer treatment
Coming to the cost of the treatment which is the most important thing to consider. The cost ranges from as low as Rs. 1.5 lakhs to as high as or more than Rs. 50 lakhs. Diagnosis can range between Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 1.8 lakhs. Surgeries for most types of cancer can cost Rs. 2.8 lakhs to Rs. 7 lakhs. In addition, Radiation Therapy can cost between Rs. 2.8 lakhs to Rs. 4.15 lakhs and Chemotherapy depends on the cancer type, its stage and number of cycles required.
Types of treatments
Due to globalization latest medications are easily available in India across all the cancer hospitals. Thus, here you can find all the types of treatment methods such as:
- Surgery – The surgeon removes the cancerous tumour and nearby tissues during an operation to prevent the chances of cancer returning.
- Chemotherapy – In this treatment, drugs are given either in the form of a pill or injected directly into the veins to prevent the cancer cells from dividing and growing by killing them.
- Radiation Therapy – It is a type of cancer treatment in which high energy beams are used to destroy the cancer cells. The radiation can be given externally through a machine or can be given internally through implants inside the body.
- Immunotherapy – Here patient’s immune system is given a boost through drugs to improve its strength to fight against cancer.
- Hormone Therapy – This treatment therapy stops or prevents the hormones from contributing in the growth of cancer cells that need hormones to grow.
- Targeted Therapy – This therapy works by targeting the cancer’s specific genes, proteins or abnormalities that helps the cancer cells to grow and survive.
- Stem Cell Transplant – It is also known as Bone marrow transplant. It is often used for cancer affecting the blood or immune system. It is a procedure in which a patient receives healthy blood-forming cells to replace the cells that have been destroyed by the disease or radiation.
- Precision Medicine – Personalized Medicine is another term used for Precision Medicine. It is an approach that allows doctors to select the treatments that are more likely to help the patients based on the genetic understanding of the disease.
Cancer Hospitals in India
India has both Government and Private Cancer Hospitals catering to the needs of cancer patients.
The top Government and Charitable hospitals in India which provides cancer treatment free of cost or at subsidized rates are:
- Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai
- All India Medical Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi
- Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai
- Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore
- MNJ Institute of Oncology, Hyderabad
The Private Hospitals in India which have the latest technology and skilled oncologists that work hard to provide the cancer treatment matching to those of other countries like US, UK, etc. are:
- Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi
- Apollo Hospital, Chennai
- Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai
- Fortis Malar Hospital, Chennai
- Saifee Hospital, Mumbai
- American Oncology Hospital, Hyderabad
- BLK Hospital, Delhi
- BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital, Bangalore
- Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Centre, Bangalore
- Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital & Research Institute, Hyderabad
Cancer prevalence in India
Cancer is increasing at an alarming rate making India the third highest country in the world suffering from this dreaded disease. Reports show that the cancer cases in India will increase by 25% by the year 2024. Presently, around 2.25 million people are living with this disease. Over 11,57,294 new cases are registered and 7,84,821 deaths are caused due to cancer every year.
According to Cancerindia.org reports the most common cancer in India amongst men are oral, lung and colorectal cancers while in women its breast, cervical and ovarian cancers. Also, cancers of oral cavity and lungs account for over 25% of deaths in men and breast and oral cancer accounts for 25% in women.
Since cancer is so prevalent in India, awareness about its condition and treatment is required. People need to know about the different types of treatments available in India. Along with the types of treatment the major concern for patients is the high cost associated with these cancer treatments. But now they don’t have to worry because Cancer treatment in India is affordable.
Services provided in India
India is one of the best places to get cancer treatment because the cancer hospitals here provide many services to both domestic and international patients.
The services provided to Domestic patients in India are:
- General and AC Deluxe wards
- Bank and ATM facilities to make the transactions easily
- Ambulance facility round the clock
- Emergency Blood bank
- Travel assistance to make the patients journey comfortable
- 24*7 open pharmacy
- Psychological Counselling for patient’s mental health
- Pathology services for all the tests
- Health Insurance services to ease the financial burden on the patient
- 24-hour security
The services provided to International patients in India are:
- Patients can get online consultation without even visiting the hospital
- Medical Visa assistance for patients coming from abroad
- Currency exchange for easy transactions
- Free Airport pick-up and drop facility so that the patient’s journey is comfortable
- Affordable accommodation near the hospital
- General and AC Deluxe wards according to patient’s comfort level
- Local Sim card for communication
- Language Interpreters so that they can communicate with doctors, nurses and staff
- ATM facility so that they don’t have to face the problem of insufficient cash
- 24 hours Nursing service to take good care
Therefore, all these facilities and advanced technologies has made India as one of the best destinations to get cancer treatment.
Author: Sakshi Maheshwari
Nina Smith 
Kim Marks