Lyfboat Blog in Treatment & Costs

Lung Cancer Treatment Cost in India

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death due to cancer among both categories of patients – men and women. It is estimated that more than 8 million people around the world die because of lung cancer.

What is the cost of lung cancer treatment in India?
Lung cancer treatment in India is quite affordable as compared to other countries, including Singapore, US, UK and Canada. Pneumonectomy costs about $5,000 in India while $22,000 in US. Wedge Resection costs about $3,000 in India while $15,000 in US. Chemotherapy costs about $3,000 in India while $21,000 in US.

Lung cancer begins to form when the cells in the lungs start to divide uncontrollably and the organ’s automatic cell death machinery fails. As a result, the abnormal growth of cells forms a lump or a tumour over a period of time that may stay at its original location or break off and spread to other parts of the body.

Lung cancer treatment is essential as lungs are vital organs of the body that help purify impure blood and supplies it to the rest of the body. When lung fails, no purification of blood takes place and oxygen does not reach the rest of the body parts.

Lung Cancer Treatment Hospitals in India

Lung cancer treatment hospitals in India are as follows:

Global Health City, Chennai	View Hospital
BLK Super Speciality Hospital	View Hospital
Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon	View Hospital
Global Hospital, Mumbai	View Hospital
Medanta The Medicity	View Hospital
Fortis Memorial Research Institute	View Hospital
Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital	View Hospital
Columbia Asia Yeshwantpur	View Hospital
Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital	View Hospital
Aster Medcity	View Hospital

Lung Cancer Symptoms

Patients who develop lung cancer experience prominent signs and symptoms that should not be ignored. Some of the common lung cancer symptoms include:

Chest pain
A severe and constant cough
A cough filled with blood
Shortness of breath
Weight loss
Tiredness and fatigue
Pneumonia
Bronchitis
Swelling on neck and face
Wheezing

Types of Lung Cancer

There are different types of lung cancer, which differ in the way how they spread and grow. The four most common types of lung cancer include:

Type	Occurrence (of all lung cancer)	Description
Non-small cell carcinoma	85%	This type of lung cancer grows slowly and may affect the epithelial cells (squamous cell carcinoma), mucus-producing cells (adenocarcinoma) or some other cells (large cell carcinoma) of the lungs.
Small cell carcinoma	15%	This type of lung cancer grows rapidly and has a tendency to spread to other parts of the body.

What causes lung cancer?

There are many reasons that may directly or indirectly lead to the cancer of the lungs. But the leading cause of lung cancer is an exposure to smoke.

People who smoke tobacco and those who are exposed to second-hand smoke are more likely to develop lung cancer than others. Some of the other risk factors for lung cancer include:

Tuberculosis
Exposure to radon, asbestos, arsenic, cadmium and chromium
Family history of lung cancer

Lung Cancer Diagnosis

Lung cancer is hard to diagnose in its early stages because there are no symptoms that can be easily identified. However, doctors use the following tests to diagnose lung cancer in case it is suspected:

Chest X-ray
Sputum analysis
CT Scan
MRI Scan
PET Scan
Needle aspiration: It involves making use of a needle to remove a piece of tissue from the lungs to see whether it has cancer cells.
Bronchoscopy: In this test, an instrument called a bronchoscope is inserted into the bronchial tubes through the throat. The doctor is thus, able to see abnormal areas inside the lungs. A small piece of tissue is also cut and observed under the microscope to identify cancer cells.
Surgical lung biopsy: In this test, a special instrument called a thoracoscope is used to look inside the lungs and remove a sample of tissue.

Lung Cancer Treatment in India

Lung cancer treatment in India is carried out by highly experienced oncologists and the team of surgeons who have an expertise in handling medical emergencies. There are different types of lung cancer treatment available in India, selection of which is done on the basis of the severity of patient’s condition, the stage and extent of cancer and the overall health status of the patient.

The following are the common types of lung cancer treatment options in India:

Surgery: There are different types of lung cancer surgery. Surgery is typically an option for the treatment of non-small cell cancers that has not spread anywhere.

The following are some of the common types of lung cancer surgery:

Lobectomy: In this surgical procedure, one of the lobes of the lung affected by cancer is removed. It is a common procedure. Sometimes, two lobes may be removed at a time, a procedure known as bilobectomy.
Pneumonectomy: This procedure involves complete removal of the lung affected by cancer. This, in turn, reduces the breathing capacity of the patient, who is then advised to use the spirometer to exercise and improve existing lung capacity.
Wedge resection (segmentectomy): In this procedure, only a portion of the lung affected by cancer and some bit of surrounding healthy tissues are removed. As a result, the rest of the healthy lung is left in place.
Lymph node removal: The lymph nodes are sometimes surgically removed in case cancer has spread there.

Chemotherapy: This involves the injection of certain anti-cancer drugs intravenously or with the help of pills. The drugs circulate in the blood and kill off cancer cells. During the drug action, some healthy cells are also killed, which regrow again.

Radiation therapy: Internal or external radiation therapy is used to direct a beam directly at the tumour site to kill off cancer cells.

Targeted therapy: This type of therapy is used to specifically target the certain type of cancer cells with the help of drugs. It is commonly used to treat non–small cell lung cancer that has returned post treatment and in case other treatments, including chemotherapy, have failed.