The lungs are located in the chest. When you breathe, air goes through your nose, down your windpipe (trachea), and into the lungs, where it flows through tubes called bronchi. Most lung cancer begins in the cells that line these tubes.
There are two main types of lung cancer:
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer.
Small cell lung cancer(SCLC) makes up about 20% of all lung cancer cases.
If the lung cancer is made up of both types, it is called mixed small cell/large cell cancer. If the cancer started somewhere else in the body and spreads to the lungs, it is called metastatic cancer of the lungs.
Causes of Lung Cancer
Cigarette
Exposure to asbestos
Exposure to cancer-causing chemicals such as uranium, beryllium, mustard gas
Exposure to radon gas
Family history of lung cancer
High levels of air pollution
High levels of arsenic in drinking water
Chest pain
Cough that does not go away
Coughing up blood
Fatigue
Losing weight without trying
Loss of appetite
Shortness of breath
Wheezing
Treatment for Lung Cancer
Treatment for lung cancer depends on the type of cancer and how advanced it is:
Surgery to remove the tumor may be done when it has not spread beyond nearby lymph nodes. Early detection of lung cancer ensures that surgery can be done to remove the cancer from the lungs.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells and stop new cells from growing.
Radiation therapy uses powerful x-rays or other forms of radiation to kill cancer cells.
The above treatments may be done alone or in combination. Your doctor can tell you more about the specific treatment you will receive.
The first step is to correctly diagnose the stage of lung cancer. The first line of investigation for diagnosing Lung Cancer is a simple Chest X-Ray followed by High Resolution CT Scan of the Lungs. Bronchoscopy is done to take tissue for biopsy which is then sent to the laboratory for histopathology. Once the lab report confirms the presence of cancer and its type then a whole body PET CT is done to see whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The cost of these investigations would be approximately USD 500-700. Once we know the stage of the cancer then the treatment is planned. If surgical excision of the tumour is to be done then the cost of the surgery would be around USD 5000 - 6000. Frozen section biopsy is done during the surgery to make sure that the entire cancer is removed and the margins are clear.
The hospital stay for lung cancer surgery would be 5-7 days and post discharge stay in India would be about 2 weeks. So you should ideally plan a trip for about 3-4 weeks to India for getting the complete treatment. You can send your reports by email or whatsapp to get an estimate about the cost of the treatment before arriving in India.
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
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 Munbai we have Nanavati hospital which offers great cancer treatment facilities all the way from cancer surgery, chemotherapy, liver transplant, bone marrow transplant and even heart and lung transplants.
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 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 Sandeep Attawar and Dr Hemant Pathare - Heart & Lung Transplant Surgeons, Dr J S Virk- Orthopaedic Cancer Surgeon, Dr Amal Roay Chaudhoory and Dr Subodh Pande Radiation Oncologists.
Nigerian Patient shares her experience during her treatment in India. Her treatment was absolutely scientifically planned from the time she got in touch with us till the time she departed.
In this video you would see the patients from several countries sharing their experiences about treatment in Indian Hospitals for all kinds of conditions. Watch the video to know what to expect when you come to India.
Dr James a renowned surgeon & owner of 40 bedded hospital in Nigeria, came to India along with his wife to get Radiation Therapy for his Prostate Cancer. Dr James is sharing his experience in India.