Lung Cancer Treatment and Surgery Cost in India

Lung cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in one or both the lungs. These abnormal cells disrupt the normal functioning of the lungs. As they grow these abnormal cells forms tumor.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the world, among both men and women. Lung cancer claims more lives each year than do colon, prostate, ovarian and breast cancers combined.

People who smoke have the greatest risk of lung cancer, though lung cancer can also occur in people who have never smoked. The risk of lung cancer increases with the length of time and number of cigarettes you’ve smoked. If you quit smoking, even after smoking for many years, you can significantly reduce your chances of developing lung cancer.

HOW TO DIAGNOSE LUNG CANCER?

Detailed history
Physical examination
Laboratory investigations

Detailed history-it includes signs, symptoms and any associated risk factors

Physical examination-It includes complete clinical respiratory examination along with examination of other systems.

Investigations-It includes:

Chest x-ray
Ct-scan
Sputum cytology
Biopsy

TYPES OF LUNG CANCER:

There are two major types of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Staging lung cancer is based on whether the cancer is local or has spread from the lungs to the lymph nodes or other organs. Because the lungs are large, tumors can grow in them for a long time before they are found.

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer:

Non-small cell lung cancer accounts for about 85 percent of lung cancers and includes:

Adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer in the United States among both men and women;
Squamous cell carcinoma, which accounts for 25 percent of all lung cancers;
Large cell carcinoma, which accounts for about 10 percent of NSCLC tumors.

STAGES OF NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER

Stage I: The cancer is located only in the lungs and has not spread to any lymph nodes.

Stage II: The cancer is in the lung and nearby lymph nodes.

Stage III: Cancer is found in the lung and in the lymph nodes in the middle of the chest, also described as locally advanced disease. Stage III has two subtypes:

If the cancer has spread only to lymph nodes on the same side of the chest where the cancer started, it is called stage IIIA.
If the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes on the opposite side of the chest, or above the collar bone, it is called stage IIIB.

Stage IV: This is the most advanced stage of lung cancer, and is also described as advanced disease. This is when the cancer has spread to both lungs, to fluid in the area around the lungs, or to another part of the body, such as the liver or other organs.

Small Cell Lung Cancer:

Small cell lung cancer accounts for the remaining 15 percent of lung cancers in the United States. They tend to grow more quickly than NSCLC tumors. Usually, SCLC is more responsive to chemotherapy than NSCLC.

Stages of Small Cell Lung Cancer

Limited stage: In this stage, cancer is found on one side of the chest, involving just one part of the lung and nearby lymph nodes.

Extensive stage: In this stage, cancer has spread to other regions of the chest or other parts of the body.

The American Joint Commission on Cancer implemented a more detailed staging system in which the stages of small cell lung cancer are described using Roman numerals and letters (for example, Stage IIA). This is the same method that is used for non-small cell lung cancer in describing the growth and spread of the cancer.

HOW LUNGS LOOK LIKE and WHAT IS THE ROLE IT PLAYS IN HUMAN BODY?

Role : Lungs are a pair of large spongy, air-filled organs located on both side of the chest (thorax). Main function of chest is exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the blood and air. Oxygen is very important for survival, so the lungs provides oxygen to the body and removes carbon dioxide.

Lung cancer typically doesn’t cause signs and symptoms in its earliest stages. Signs and symptoms of lung cancer typically occur only when the disease is advanced.

SYMPTOMS:

Signs and symptoms of lung cancer may include:

A new cough that doesn’t go away
Coughing up blood, even a small amount
Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Hoarseness
Losing weight without trying
Bone pain
Headache

How smoking causes lung cancer ?

Doctors believe smoking causes lung cancer by damaging the cells that line the lungs. When you inhale cigarette smoke, which is full of cancer-causing substances (carcinogens), changes in the lung tissue begin almost immediately.

At first your body may be able to repair this damage. But with each repeated exposure, normal cells that line your lungs are increasingly damaged. Over time, the damage causes cells to act abnormally and eventually cancer may develop.

RISK FACTORS:

Risk factors for lung cancer include:

Smoking. Your risk of lung cancer increases with the number of cigarettes you smoke each day and the number of years you have smoked. Quitting at any age can significantly lower your risk of developing lung cancer.
Exposure to secondhand smoke. Even if you don’t smoke, your risk of lung cancer increases if you’re exposed to secondhand smoke.
Exposure to radon gas. Radon is produced by the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water that eventually becomes part of the air you breathe. Unsafe levels of radon can accumulate in any building, including homes.
Exposure to asbestos and other carcinogens. Workplace exposure to asbestos and other substances known to cause cancer — such as arsenic, chromium and nickel — also can increase your risk of developing lung cancer, especially if you’re a smoker.
Family history of lung cancer. People with a parent, sibling or child with lung cancer have an increased risk of the disease

LUNG CANCER STAGING

Staging is the process of finding the location &extent of the cancer, such as how large it is, if or where it has spread & whether it is affecting the other parts of the body. Knowing the stage of the cancer is important as this will help the doctor by:

Understand the severity of the cancer and the survival chances.
Plan the best treatment option accordingly.
Identify clinical trials that may be treatment the options for the patients.

LUNG CANCER TREATMENT

The treatment options for lung cancer depend on the type of lung cancer you have.

Small cell lung cancer: treated with chemotherapy because surgery cannot be done as the cancer is diagnosed when it has already spread
Non small cell lung cancer: treated with surgery radiotherapy as well as chemotherapy or combination according to the stage of cancer
Surgery: if the cancer is in stage 1 and 2 and has not metastasized it is possible to cure by surgically removing the tumor and the lymph nodes. Surgery is carried by a thoracic margin and a negative margin of tissue is created around the tumor. Surgery can be curative or palliative. Surgery has side effects like pain and infection.
Chemotherapy: utilizes strong chemicals that interfere with cell divisions process damaging protein or DNA so that cancer cells will commit suicide. It is considered systemic because its medicine travel throughout the entire body killing the original tumor cells as well as cancer cells that have spread.
- Also given as adjuvant therapy.
- Several side effects-nausea and vomiting appetite loss, diarrhea, hair loss, infection bleeding and mouth sores.
Radiation-high energy rays are focused on the tumor so that the tumor shrinks or destroys, the tumor high energy gamma rays are emitted from metals such as radium or special machine

STAGE	DESCRIPTION	TREATMENT OPTIONS
Stage Ia-Ib	Tumor localized in lung	Surgical resection
Stage IIa IIb	Tumor spread to local lymph nodes	Surgical resection
Stage IIIa	Tumor spread to regional lymph nodes in trachea, chest	Chemotherapy followed by surgery or radiation
Stage IIIb	Tumor spread to contra lateral lymph nodes	Combination of chemotherapy & radiation
Stage IV	Tumor metastasis to organs outside chest	Chemotherapy & or palliative care

LUNG CANCER TREATMENT COST

Lung Cancer cost depends on following factors,

Location of the malignant tumor
Cell type (such as, adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma)
The size of the tumor
Spread to nearby tissues and nodes
Spread to different parts of the body
Tumor grade, which refers as to how abnormal the cancer cells look and how likely the tumor is to grow and spread
The stage of the cancer
The severity of the cancer and the survival chances.
The treatment plan rolled out for the specific case

Treatments options available for Lung cancer:

Lung Cancer Treatment and Cost

SURGERY: Surgery is to remove the lung cancer and a layer of healthy tissue. Procedure includes

WEDGE RESECTION: Remove small section of lung contains tumor
SEGMENTAL RESECTION: Remove a larger portion of the lung
LOBECTOMY: Remove entire lobe of a lung
PNEUMONECTOMY: Remove an entire lung

2. RADIATION THERAPY: Radiation therapy may be used before surgery or after surgery If surgery isn’t an option, combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy may be the primary treatment. The high-powered energy beams from sources such as X-rays and protons to kill cancer cells.

3. CHEMOTHERAPY: Chemotherapy is generally done before and/or after surgery. Before surgery, it is done to shrink cancerous cells/ tumors and make them easier to remove. After surgery, it is done to kill any cancer cells that may remain. One or more chemotherapy drugs may be given through a vein or taken orally. Again, it can be used alone or in combination with radiation therapy.

4. IMMUNOTHERAPY: Immunotherapy used for immune system to fight cancer. The cancer cells produce proteins that blind the immune system cells that’s why Disease-fighting immune system may not attack cancer. Immunotherapy works by interfering with that process. Immunotherapy treatments are generally reserved for people with advanced lung cancer.

5. PALLIATIVE CARE: It is a specialty area of medicine that involves working with a doctor to minimize your signs and symptoms.

Lung Cancer Treatment	Procedure Cost (US$)
Wedge Resection	2000 – 3000
Pneumonectomy	5000 – 6000
Radiation therapy	2500 – 5000
Chemotherapy	3000 – 5000

The cost of chemotherapy for lung cancer ranges from the US $ 1,200 to the US $ 1,600 per cycle.

The cost of radiotherapy ranges from the US $ 4,000 to the US $ 5,000.

In the early stages of lung cancer, the treatment cost in India will come around $6000.

Lung Cancer Treatment Cost in India

Lung cancer treatment cost in India ranges from Rs. 3,50,000 ($5000) – Rs. 12,00,000 ($18000), where the cost of which depends upon surgery type, drugs prescribed, and whether or not a patient needs radiotherapy. India has become a very popular destination for patients from around the world because of its high quality medical services and affordable lowest prices. On the other chance that you are searching for moderate lung cancer treatment, India is the best alternative.

Medical Procedure

Treatment Cost

Diagnosis

Rs. 34,000 ($500) – Rs. 80,000 ($1,200)

Lung Tumor Resection

Rs. 3,50,000 ($5,000) – Rs. 6,67,000 ($10,000)

Pneumonectomy

Up to Rs. 10,00,000 ($15,000)

Radiation therapy

Rs. 67,000 ($1,000) – Rs. 3,50,000 ($5,000)

Chemotherapy (for a course)

Rs. 13,000 ($200) – Rs. 20,000 ($300)

In certain cases, the lung cancer treatment cost in India depends upon several factors like :

Infrastructure of the hospital
Technique of treatment
Cancer tests and investigation costs
Surgeon’s fee
Cost of living in the geographical area
Drugs
Chemotherapy

Lung cancer treatment costs In India is 60 to 70% less than countries like US and UK. The best treatment is provided by world class oncologist at an affordable cost without compromising on the quality of treatment. In abroad the cost is around 10 times higher, for instance, a simple consultation deposit amount is around 10,000 USD which amounts to INR.51100. In the early stages of lung cancer, the treatment cost in India will come around $5000 (INR.3,50,000) as compared to U.S. where the cost goes up to $22000 (INR.15,40,000). Wedge resection cost in India amounts to around $3000 (INR.2,10,000) whereas in U.S. it is around $15000 (INR.10,50,000).

Chemotherapy costs $3000 (INR.2,10,000) in India and in U.S. it costs around $21000 (INR. 14,70,000). World’s finest lung cancer treatment is provided by leading cancer hospital in Bangalore , Delhi, Mumbai. Lung cancer hospitals in India are highly affordable. For a person who is diagnosed with lung cancer in the later stage, the cost of diagnosis i.e. CT Scan, PET Scan, biopsy etc. will cost around INR. 1,00,000. After being diagnosed the patient is referred for chemotherapy and some important drugs are prescribed with it which costs around INR. 65,000. 5 to 6 such chemotherapy sessions are prescribed and the total cost can come around INR.4,00,000. In addition to the chemotherapy, radiation therapy is also prescribed in some cases, and two cycles of such sessions will cost around INR.2,50,000. Now we will discuss in depth about the symptoms, stages and the causes of lung cancer.

Lung Cancer Hospitals in India

India stands out when it comes lung cancer treatment. Some of best lung cancer hospitals in India also have their research wings where they research about the different cancer and their causes. Here is a list of some of the best lung cancer hospitals in India:

1. Adyar Hospital

Also known as the cancer institute (WIA) was established by Dr.Muthalakshmi reddy in the year 1954. It has been a voluntary based and public charitable trust for the past 60 years.

This Institute is a comprehensive cancer centre comprising of a hospital of 535 beds facilities, a research division team, a college of oncological sciences and a division of preventive oncology and provides state of the art treatment to all & also target towards the lung cancer treatment in India

Prominent Features :

1. It has both the national & international stature.

2. Clinical research & molecular research are the two main factor of this hospital.

3. Genomics facilities like ABI 3500_DX genetic analyser, illumine- Hiscan SQ platform & Ion Torrent – PGM. Proteomics & flow cytometry facilities are also there.

Address : Sardar Patel Road, Adyar, Chennai – 600020

Lung Cancer Treatment and Surgery Cost in India

Lung Cancer Treatment and Surgery Cost in India

HOW TO DIAGNOSE LUNG CANCER?

TYPES OF LUNG CANCER:

Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer:

STAGES OF NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER

Small Cell Lung Cancer:

HOW LUNGS LOOK LIKE and WHAT IS THE ROLE IT PLAYS IN HUMAN BODY?

How smoking causes lung cancer ?

LUNG CANCER STAGING

LUNG CANCER TREATMENT

LUNG CANCER TREATMENT COST

Treatments options available for Lung cancer:

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