Chemotherapy is a vigorous form of medication therapy that helps in the destruction of rapidly growing cancerous cells. It is often used in combination with other therapies including surgery, radiation or hormonal therapy. The combination depends on factors such as,
- Staging of a cancerous condition
- General well being of the patient
- Associated medical conditions
- Location of the tumour
- Surrounding structures around the tumour
The prime objectives of chemotherapeutic drugs are:
- Prevent cell division
- Targeting the energy source of cancerous cells
- Stimulating apoptosis of cancerous cells
Recommended: Causes of cancer
When is Chemotherapy recommended?
- To cause shrinkage of the tumour before surgery
- To remove remanent cells left after a surgery of radiotherapy.
- To slow down the progression and spread of cancerous cells.
How is Chemotherapy done?
The chemotherapy drugs are usually administered in the form of pills, intravenous injections, or IV. Some other ways the administration are:
- The drugs are injected directly into the tumour if the location is accessible.
- Topically applicable creams with chemotherapy drugs can be used to treat some skin cancers.
- Localised chemotherapy can also be given to the affected part of the body.
- The drugs can also be taken orally or in the form of single shots.
- Sometimes, a needle is inserted during each session through which the drugs are administered into the bloodstream.
Helpful: How chemotherapy kills cancer cells?
Chemotherapy cost in Delhi
Usually, the average chemotherapy cost in India ranges between 650 USD to 1100 USD (46569 INR to 78810 INR) for each cycle. However, the exact cost depends on some other factors such as,
- Stage of cancer
- Location of the tumour
- Type of drugs used
- Number of sessions needed
- The expertise of the doctor
- The reputation of the hospital
- Cost of living
- Cost of investigations
Helpful: Chemotherapy Cost in India
Each session may last for half to two hours. A standard of 6 cycles is usually followed, which may vary with an individual. Investigations will include blood tests, x-rays, physical examination, HIV, Hepatitis, and PET scan.
Top oncology hospitals in Delhi
BLK Super Speciality Hospital
- The cancer centre at BLK was the first to offer Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy Technology in India.
- It was also Asia’s first and the world’s Seventh hospital to introduce Cyberknife VSI.
- Besides Cyber-knife, the hospital also provides other modern technologies, such as Trilogy Tx Linear Accelerator, IGRT, IMRT, 3D CRT, and high dose rate brachytherapy.
Indraprastha Apollo Hospital
- The hospital has da Vinci Robotic Surgical System for complicated surgeries with greater ease and precision.
- Also, a special linear accelerator, known as Novalis Tx is designed for high precision treatment.
- The system enables the surgeon to have a three-dimensional view of the patient’s anatomy.
- Apollo hospital additionally offers Newer drug formulation Chemo to minimize toxicity in chemotherapeutic drugs.
Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi
- Fortis hospital is a part of the Fortis Healthcare group, that started in 1996.
- It has more than 55 medical specialities having expert doctors and advanced technology.
- The hospital is a multispeciality tertiary hospital, which is also accredited with NABH.
Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi
- The hospital is a part of Max healthcare, which started its operations in 2001.
- The hospital is accredited with NABH, NABL, and is also ISO 9001:2000 certified.
- Max healthcare is also the first hospital in India to receive stage 6 recognition from HIMSS and was awarded for environmental conservation.
Best cancer doctors in New Delhi
Dr. Harit Chaturvedi
- He is one of the most popular oncologists in India with more than 25 years of experience.
- He is specialized recognized for his clinical and surgical skills in Oncology.
- He has also been supporting the cause for cancer awareness and has been a crusader against Tobacco for the last 15 years through various cancer foundations.
Dr. Kapil Kumar
- Surgical Oncologist with 28+ years of experience.
- He has worked at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre Delhi as Sr. Consultant, as Honorary Senior Consultant - Dharamshila Cancer Hospital, New Delhi.
- Specializes in Breast cancer and oncoplastic surgery, Upper G.I. Onco Surgery, Pancreatic Biliary Surgery, Thoracic surgery including Esophagus cancer, Lung
Dr. Sunil Kumar Gupta
- Dr. Sunil Kumar Gupta is Hemato-Medical Oncologist with 27+ years of experience.
- He has won Best Medical Oncologist award by Medgate; Best Poster Award in Thailand and Excellence award by Eli Lily and Company.
- He has expertise in treating all stages of Solid Tumors and Hematological Malignancies, performing peripheral, Autologous and Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant, high dose Chemotherapy with growth factor support and regional Chemotherapy.
- Dr. Gupta has participated in various National and International Conferences as a Speaker, Chairperson, Panelist and Moderator.
- He is faculty of National Board of Medical Oncology Super-specialty course.
Dr. Amit Aggarwal
- Currently working as a Director & HOD in Medical Oncology Department at BLK Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi.
- Prior to joining BLK, he has worked at International Oncology services, at Fortis Hospitals as Senior Consultant, at Batra Hospital & Research Centre as Senior Consultant and at several hospitals in the UK.
- Expertise includes Pain Management, Early Stage Hodgkin’s Disease, Emergency Medicine and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Management of Non- Metastatic Ewing’s Sarcoma.
- Member of prestigious organisation: American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Why is Delhi a preferred place for cancer treatment in India?
India ranks amongst the top 3 nations in Asia and Delhi is one of the top 5 destinations for medical tourism in India. Factors such as increased demand due to the high cost of medical treatment in other nations and non-availability of good treatment facilities lead to more and more international patients coming to India every year.
How is the air connectivity services in New Delhi?
Delhi airport namely, Indira Gandhi International Airport is one of the largest international airports both for domestic and international civilian air traffic. It is the busiest airport in India and South Asia, situated 16 km away from the city centre. The railway station is located nearly 4.8 km from the airport. The IGI airport is also connected to 8 lanes Delhi-Gurgaon express highway. The airport handles nearly 37 million passengers annually. The airport was awarded for the “World’s Best Airport” at Airport Service Quality Awards 2017 in the highest category of airports handling more than 40 million passengers annually.