Exploring Lung Cancer Treatment Cost in India

The human body is a complex system, with multiple cells, organs, muscles, tissues, and the nervous system working together. The lungs, one of the essential organs, play a crucial role in our body’s function by helping us breathe oxygen and perform all necessary body functions. Their significance cannot be overstated. However, like any other body part, cancer can also affect the lungs. Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide among both women and men. In this blog, we will guide you through lung cancer, treatments for lung cancer, and lung cancer treatment cost in India.

What is Lung Cancer: Lung cancer treatment cost in India

To understand lung cancer, you first need to know what cancer is. The human body has numerous numbers of cells. The wound heals after a few days whenever we get a cut in any place on our body. There is a complex pathway because the wound heals, but to simplify the process, try to understand that the cells that we have come at the wounded place, where we have dead cells, and get replaced by the new cells which are generated by diving and doubling in numbers, such as from 1 cell it multiplies and generates two cells and then four and so on. 

This process of cell multiplication is normal, and understanding it can provide reassurance in the face of cancer. However, if it is disrupted, it can lead to tumour formation. This tumour can be benign, meaning it is not cancerous, or it can become malignant over time, indicating the presence of cancerous cells. 

The process is similar to that of the lungs. Like any other part of the body, the lungs are made up of numerous cells. However, they are particularly vulnerable to cancer-causing agents or carcinogens. These elements can disrupt the lung’s average cell growth, leading to cancerous cell formation. 

Also read: Cancer Treatment Cost in India

Lung cancer treatment options

In this section, we will discuss various treatment options for lung cancer. Several lung cancer treatment options are available in India, each carefully tailored to each patient’s needs. It’s important to note that the success rates of these treatments vary, and your doctor will help you understand the potential outcomes of each option. 

In this section, we will discuss various treatment options for lung cancer. Several lung cancer treatment options are available in India, each carefully tailored to each patient’s needs. 

Surgery 

Surgery is one of the initial stage treatment options available for lung cancer treatment. In surgery, doctors usually remove the cancerous tumour cells and affected tissue. Advanced surgical techniques are available, including minimally invasive procedures like video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) & robot-assisted surgery. Surgery type usually depends on the extent of the disease, including lobectomy (removal of a lobe of the lung), pneumonectomy (removal of an entire lung), or segmentectomy (removal of a smaller portion of the lung). 

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a type of cancer cure therapy where the medication is given orally or intravenously. Chemotherapeutic agents aim to destroy only the cancer cells and tissues. 

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy employs high-energy rays to eradicate cancer cells from the affected organs. It can reduce the tumour size before surgery. It can also act as adjuvant therapy, so doctors might prescribe it after surgery to eliminate residual cancer cells. Modern advancements include intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) & stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), which can optimize precision while minimizing damage to surrounding cells.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is where the body’s immune system destroys cancer cells. One notable form of immunotherapy is immune checkpoint inhibitors, which block specific proteins in cancer or immune cells and help immune cells attack the tumour. 

Also read: Proton Therapy in India: List of Top 12 Hospitals

Targeted therapy

Unlike traditional chemotherapy, targeted therapy uses precision medicine to target specific genetic alterations within cancer cells. This precision offers a broader scope of cancer cell death and reduces human side effect levels, instilling confidence in its effectiveness. 

Lung cancer treatment cost in India

In this part, we will discuss lung cancer treatment costs in India, the hospitals that provide it, and the details of the professionals who treat it. These professionals include oncologists, pulmonologists, and thoracic surgeons, all highly skilled and experienced in treating lung cancer.

Apollo Hospitals: Lung cancer treatment cost in India

1. Apollo Hospitals is one of the oldest and most famous hospitals for lung cancer treatment. With its wide range of cancer treatments and a large group of highly skilled professionals, it is always the preferred hospital. 
2. Apollo provides various treatments for lung cancer, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery, including lobectomy and pneumonectomy. 
3. Apollo Chennai offers fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS); this promising surgery is performed and completely removes cancer cells. 
4. Apollo also provides robot-assisted surgery. With controlled precision, surgeons can perform delicate surgeries to remove cancer cells. 
5. Apollo has a group of highly skilled doctors, with approximately 40 doctors for patient treatment. 
6. Lung cancer treatment cost in India at Apollo is roughly $4000 to $8000.

Apollo Hospitals Max Hospital, Delhi: Lung cancer treatment cost in India

1. Max Hospitals is another prime hospital for lung cancer treatment in India. They provide a patient-centric plan ideally suited for every patient with a group of more than 50 healthcare professionals. 
2. Max Hospital offers a range of lung cancer treatments, including surgery – wedge section, lobectomy, and pneumonectomy. 
3. Chemotherapy treatment is often provided for lung cancer patients here in Max hospitals. Both types of chemotherapy, orally and intravenously, are provided depending on the patient’s health situation. 
4. Radiation therapy is also offered by Max Hospital, which has shown promising outcomes for patients. Patients who are suffering from locally advanced cancer, which is cancer that has grown into multiple organs. If that happens, then radiation therapy can be provided before and after the surgery is done. Max Hospital offers two types of radiation therapy – brachytherapy or internal radiation therapy and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). 
5. Max Hospitals also provides targeted immunotherapy, primarily oral and less harsh than radiation therapy. 
6. Max Hospitals provides lung cancer treatment at an approximate cost of $5000 on average, making it one of India’s cheapest yet best-class cancer care providers.

Max Hospitals Fortis Hospitals: Lung cancer treatment cost in India

1. Fortis Hospitals provides a wide range of lung cancer treatments. In Fortis Bangalore, three highly skilled doctors with more than ten years of experience treat patients with lung cancer. 
2. Fortis Hospital provides a range of surgeries, including lobectomy, pneumonectomy, esophagectomy (where, if needed, the esophagus is entirely or partially removed), hiatal hernia repair, and wedge resection. 
3. Fortis provides many advanced lung cancer surgeries, such as real-time image-guided surgery, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), laparoscopic surgery, and robot-assisted surgery. 
4. Fortis Hospitals provides lung cancer treatment at approximately $4000 to $8000. 

Fortis Hospitals Conclusion: Lung cancer treatment cost in India

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers currently in this modern world due to various carcinogens. People need to understand the striking reasons behind lung cancers, such as excessive smoking, bad air conditions, etc. If one can reduce these, then lung cancer might also be avoided. India, amongst other Western countries, provides such lower costs of lung cancer treatment, which is one of the main reasons people visit India for medical tourism. 

Frequently Asked Questions What is the average cost of Lung cancer treatment in India?

$4000 to $7000

What is Lung cancer?

Continuous growth of cells on any area of lungs, without any cell death.