Breast Conservation Surgery - BCS Cost in Chennai, India

The cost of breast-conserving surgery in Chennai typically ranges from $1,550 to $5,750 USD (about ₹1.47 lakh to ₹5.45 lakh), depending on the hospital, room category and type of procedure.

A typical estimate for breast-conserving surgery in Chennai is around $2,850 (about ₹2.70 lakh). What you pay depends mainly on your own case. If your operation is planned, done by keyhole or a standard method, and you go home after a short stay, your bill is likely to be closer to $1,550 (about ₹1.47 lakh). It is likely to be nearer $5,750 (about ₹5.45 lakh) if you need open or robotic surgery, your condition is more complex, you stay longer or you choose a private room.

When comparing Chennai packages for breast-conserving surgery, check whether each quote includes:

• Surgeon and anaesthetist fees
• Operating theatre or procedure room
• Intensive care if needed
• Hospital stay and room category
• Medicines and consumables
• Follow-up visits before you fly home

Breast-conserving surgery, also called lumpectomy or wide local excision, removes the tumour with a rim of healthy tissue and keeps most of the breast, and radiotherapy generally follows.

Cancer Research UK states that, for suitable people, breast-conserving surgery followed by radiotherapy cures breast cancer as well as mastectomy does, and breast radiotherapy generally runs for one to three weeks.

Because a treated breast cannot generally have radiotherapy a second time, a cancer that comes back in that breast is generally treated with mastectomy.

The removed tissue is checked under a microscope, and Cancer Research UK observes that a second operation might be needed if cancer cells reach its edge.

Many people leave hospital the same day or the next, and recovery is generally faster than after mastectomy, but the stay should allow for radiotherapy too.

Fitness to fly: there is no aviation figure specific to this procedure, so fly after the surgeon has reviewed you and ask how to reduce clot risk on a long journey.

In Chennai, the price of breast-conserving surgery is generally built from these parts:

• Tests beforehand: bloods, scans and a check by the anaesthetist.
• Operating theatre and anaesthetic: billed largely on time spent in theatre.
• Specialist fees: which are set by each hospital.
• Surgical approach: open, keyhole or robotic, where more than one is possible.
• Node surgery: sentinel biopsy or more.
• Localisation: a wire or marker to find the lump.
• Re-excision: if margins are not clear.
• Radiotherapy: generally later on.

Cancer surgery costs vary with the stage, how much is removed and any further therapy, so complex cases in Chennai can cost more than the range above.

Abdominal and digestive surgery in Chennai is done by surgical teams in multi-speciality hospitals that have critical care and endoscopy on site.

Hospitals in Chennai can hold NABH accreditation, India's national quality standard set by a board of the Quality Council of India and itself accredited by ISQua, and the NABH website shows whether an accreditation is still valid.

Joint Commission International (JCI) accredits a number of Indian hospitals, and its public directory lets you check whether a Chennai hospital on your shortlist is currently included.

If a Chennai hospital runs an international patient service, ask whether it can provide the invitation letter for your e-Medical visa and arrange airport collection, interpreters and nearby accommodation.