What is Blood Cancer

Our blood has Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells, Platelets and some other components. The role of RBC is to carry oxygen to all the parts of the body while the role of WBC is to fight against the diseases which attack our body. There are 4000-11000 WBC per microlitre of blood in our body. Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) is a disease of the blood where the WBC start multiplying at a very rapid pace and their number goes beyond 20000 and in some cases to even 200000 per microlitre of blood. The nature of these WBC changes and they start killing the RBC and the platelets.

Symptoms of ALL

The signs and symptoms of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia may include:

Bleeding from the gums
Pain in the bones       
Fever
Frequent infections
Frequent nose bleed
Swollen Lymph nodes in underarms, neck, groin or abdomen
Pale skin
Breathlessness
Fatigue and weakness

Causes of ALL

Acute lymphocytic leukemia occurs when a bone marrow cell develops errors in its DNA. The errors tell the cell to continue growing and dividing, when a healthy cell would normally stop dividing and eventually die. When this happens, blood cell production becomes abnormal. The bone marrow produces immature cells that develop into leukemic white blood cells called lymphoblasts. These abnormal cells are unable to function properly, and they can build up and crowd out healthy cells.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is mostly detected through a very simple blood test called Complete Blood Count (CBC) which shows unexplained increase in the number of WBC and decrease in the number of RBC and Platelets. This test can also show the presence of blastic cells. Further testing is done by taking bone marrow sample from the spine and testing in the lab. This test tells the type of ALL - B Type or T Type. Imaging tests like CT Scan, Ultrasound are done to check whether the cancer has spread to other body parts or not.

Chemotherapy is given to destroy the leukemic bone marrow cells completely. If significant number of leukemic cells are destroyed then the bone marrow starts producing healthy cells. The first phase of treatment called Induction Phase can last from 6-12 months. The second phase of treatment is known as the consolidation phase and the last phase is known as the maintenance phase. The entire treatment lasts 2-3 years. the treatment is more successful in children below the age of 14 years. If ALL is detected in older people then the prognosis is not so good.

Bone marrow transplant may be used as consolidation therapy in people at high risk of relapse or for treating relapse when it occurs. This procedure allows someone with leukemia to re-establish healthy bone marrow by replacing leukemic bone marrow with leukemia-free marrow from a healthy person.

A bone marrow transplant begins with high doses of chemotherapy or radiation to destroy any leukemia-producing bone marrow. The marrow is then replaced by bone marrow from a compatible donor (allogeneic transplant).

Cost of Blood Cancer Treatment

The cost of Blood Cancer Treatment in India ranges from USD 5000-8000 at the best of the hospitals. The first step is to correctly diagnose the stage of blood cancer. The cost of investigations would be approximately USD 1000-1500. Once we know the stage of the cancer then the treatment is planned. The first phase of treatment is given by admitting the patient in day care to administer the chemo drugs. The patient has to get admitted several times so that all the cycles of chemo are completed. The remaining phases of the treatment are mostly completed at your home. You have to keep in touch with our doctors to check the health status of the patient.

If Bone Marrow Transplant is required then the cost jumps up to USD 50000 - 60000 at most of the hospitals in India. Dr Dharma Chaudhary at Nanavati Hospital, Mumbai and Dr Rahul Bhargava at Fortis Hospital Gurgaon are two of the most distinguished doctors in India for the treatment of all kinds of Blood Cancers and Bone Marrow Transplant.

Apart from the treatment the other costs like travelling, hotels and food are all cheaper in India. The boarding and lodging cost for the patient and one attendant in a decent airconditioned guest house would be around USD 40-60 per day. Those who have to stay for long periods can even rent an apartment for around 300-400 USD per month. The stay in cancer cases is longer where the patient needs multi modality treatment. For query please whatsapp at +91-9958222443 or email to indianhealthconsultants@gmail.com

Our Cancer Hospitals

Cancer treatment requires high quality equipments and care. Hence in India cancer hospitals are majorly tertiary care setups. Some of the best cancer hospitals in India with best in class facilities are located in Delhi/NCR and Mumbai. In Delhi/NCR we have hospitals like Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon, India whcih is considered as one of the most advanced hospitals for cancer treatment. Apart from Fortis we have Paras Hospital Gurgaon, India which is a great setup for cancer surgeries. Similarly in Faridabad we have Metro hospital which offers great cancer treatment facilities all the way from cancer surgery, chemotherapy, liver transplant, kidney transplant etc

Technology at our Disposal

Our Hospitals have the latest MRI, CT Scan, Digital X-Ray, Mammography, Ultrasound, Colour Doppler, PET CT Scan, Gamma Camera (Nuclear Medicine Scans), Image Guided Radiation Therapy, Gamma Knife, Cyber Knife, Thoracosopy, Sleep Study, Lung Ultrasound Bronchoscopy EBUS etc which gives us the diagnostic and theraputic confidence for providing the right treatment.

Modular fully equipped Operation Theatres with hepa-filters for zero infection rate and C-Arm backed by a state of art ICU helps us in providing world class treatment to our patients. Similarly in cases of transplant our well equipped isolation rooms ensure a zero infection rate which is very important for transplant patients as they have compromised immunity after the surgery.

Our Cancer Doctors

Our team of doctors include some of the best names from the Indian Medical Fraternity. Dr Ankur Garg - Liver Transplant, Hepato Biliary and Pancreatic Cancer Surgeon, Dr Kaushal Yadav, Dr Abhishek Mitra, Dr Niranjan Naik, Dr Rama Joshi, Dr Sumita Singh, Dr Priyanjana Sharma, Dr Shilpi Sharma Dr Rajiv Yadav, Dr Vikram Singh- All Cancer Surgeons, Dr Pradeep Bansal and Dr Dipanshu Gupta - Urologist and Kidney Transplant Surgeons, Dr Rahul Bhargava and Dr Dharma Choudhary - Bone Marrow Transplant Specialists, Dr Vinod Raina, Dr Suresh Advani - Medical Oncologists, Dr Hemant Pathare - Heart & Lung Transplant Surgeons, Dr J S Virk- Orthopaedic Cancer Surgeon, Dr Amal Roay Chaudhoory and Dr Subodh Pande Radiation Oncologists.

Artemis Hospital

Metro Hospital, Faridabad

Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon

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