Most Advanced Radiation Therapy Cost in India
The average cost of Radiation Therapy in India is usually between USD 3000 to USD 5000. depending on which type of radiation technique is recommended. However, the prices may vary depending upon the hospitals in different cities.
The cause of the difference in the charges of radiation therapy depending on the type of technique is due to the following factors:
- Treatment package: Radiation therapy price is dependent on the doses, length of treatment for the patient.
- Type of cancer: Therapies of certain cancers are likely to cost more than other cancers.
- Cost of the machine: Depending on the technique used, the cost of the machine also contributes to the cost.
- Stage of cancer: Depending on the stage of cancer in the body, the costs may increase.
- Miscellaneous costs: Include hospital room rent, nursing charges, food, etc.
What Is Radiation therapy?
Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses beams of intense energy to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy most often uses X-rays, but protons or other types of energy also can be used.
The term “radiation therapy” most often refers to external beam radiation therapy. During this type of radiation, the high-energy beams come from a machine outside of your body that aims the beams at a precise point on your body. During a different type of radiation treatment called brachytherapy (brak-e-THER-uh-pee), radiation is placed inside your body.
Radiation therapy damages cells by destroying the genetic material that controls how cells grow and divide. While both healthy and cancerous cells are damaged by radiation therapy, the goal of radiation therapy is to destroy as few normal, healthy cells as possible. Normal cells can often repair much of the damage caused by radiation.
Types of Radiation Therapy
There are two main types of radiation therapy, external beam and internal.
1. Internal Radiation Therapy (IRT) :
IRT is also known as Brachytherapy. Usually, the type of cancer and the techniques used will determine the cost of Brachytherapy.
It is known to be most suitable for Prostate Cancer, Head & Neck Cancer, Skin Cancer, Breast Cancer, Gallbladder Carcinoma, Uterine Carcinoma, Vaginal Cancer, Lung Cancer, Rectum Cancer, Colon Cancer and Eye Cancer.
2. External Beam Radiation Therapy :
There are many forms of techniques and procedures for external beam radiation therapy and the cost of each varies from one another. Following is the range of cost for different procedures and techniques of radiotherapy.
- Three Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D CRT): It is mostly suitable for brain, head & neck, liver, lung, and prostate cancer.
- Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT): It is mostly suitable for tumors of the prostate, urinary bladder, lungs, and gynecological cancers.
- Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT): It is mostly suitable for cancers of the head & neck, brain, lungs, lymphomas, and gynecological cancers.
- Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT): It is the latest and advanced technique of external radiation therapy.
- 2D conventional technique (2D CT): It is the most basic external radiation therapy. It is used in metastatic palliative treatment along with other treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy.
- Gamma Knife: It is used for benign tumors of the brain and malignant tumors.
- The CyberKnife VSI Robotic Radiosurgery System is a non-invasive alternative to surgery for the treatment of both cancerous and non-cancerous tumours anywhere in the body including the Prostate, Head & Neck, Lung, Brain, Spine, Liver, Pancreas and Kidney. The treatment delivering beams of high-dose radiation to tumours with extreme accuracy offers new hope to patients worldwide.
Why Radiation Therapy done?
More than half of all people with cancer receive radiation therapy as part of their cancer treatment. Doctors use radiation therapy to treat just about every type of cancer. Radiation therapy is also useful in treating some noncancerous (benign) tumors.
How radiation therapy is used in people with cancer
Your doctor may suggest radiation therapy as an option at different times during your cancer treatment and for different reasons, including:
- As the only (primary) treatment for cancer
- Before surgery, to shrink a cancerous tumor (neoadjuvant therapy)
- After surgery, to stop the growth of any remaining cancer cells (adjuvant therapy)
- In combination with other treatments, such as chemotherapy, to destroy cancer cells
- In advanced cancer to alleviate symptoms caused by the cancer
How to prepare for radiation therapy
The first step in radiation treatment is determining that it’s the right form of treatment for you. Your doctor will also determine dosage amounts and the frequency of radiation best suited for your cancer type and stage. Sometimes your doctor may decide that radiation therapy is best suited for use at a later stage, so you may receive other cancer treatments first.
Preparation for radiation therapy involves a radiation simulation. It typically includes the steps seen below.
Radiation simulation
- You’ll lie on the same type of table that will be used for your treatment.
- Lying still at the proper angle is very important for treatment success, so your healthcare team may use cushions and restraints to position you at the best angle for treatment.
- You will then undergo CT scans or X-rays to determine the full extent of your cancer and where the radiation should be focused.
- After determining the best location for radiation treatment, your treatment team will then mark the area with a very small tattoo. This tattoo is usually the size of a freckle. In certain cases, a permanent tattoo is not needed.
- You’re now ready to begin radiation therapy.
During Radiation Therapy
External beam radiation therapy is usually conducted using a linear accelerator — a machine that directs high-energy beams of radiation into your body.
As you lie on a table, the linear accelerator moves around you to deliver radiation from several angles. The linear accelerator can be adjusted for your particular situation so that it delivers the precise dose of radiation your doctor has ordered.
You typically receive external beam radiation on an outpatient basis five days a week over a certain period of time. In most instances, treatments are usually spread out over several weeks to allow your healthy cells to recover in between radiation therapy sessions.
Expect each treatment session to last approximately 10 to 30 minutes. In some cases, a single treatment may be used to help relieve pain or other symptoms associated with more-advanced cancers.
During a treatment session, you’ll lie down in the position determined during your radiation simulation session. You might be positioned with molds to hold you in place.
The linear accelerator machine may rotate around your body to reach the target from different directions. The machine makes a buzzing sound.
You’ll lie still and breathe normally during the treatment, which takes only a few minutes. For some patients with lung or breast cancer, you might be asked to hold your breath while the machine delivers the treatment.
Your radiation therapy team stays nearby in a room with video and audio connections so that you can talk to each other. You should speak up if you feel uncomfortable, but you shouldn’t feel any pain during your radiation therapy session.
Results
If you’re receiving radiation to a tumor, your doctor may have you undergo periodic scans after your treatment to see how your cancer has responded to radiation therapy.
In some cases, your cancer may respond to treatment right away. In other cases, it may take weeks or months for your cancer to respond. Some people aren’t helped by radiation therapy.
Common Side Effects from Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy side effects depend on which part of your body is being exposed to radiation and how much radiation is used. You may experience no side effects, or you may experience several. Most side effects are temporary, can be controlled and generally disappear over time once treatment has ended.
Part of body being treated & Side effects.
- Any part:- Hair loss at treatment site (sometimes permanent), skin irritation at treatment site, fatigue
- Head and neck:- Dry mouth, thickened saliva, difficulty swallowing, sore throat, changes in the way food tastes, nausea, mouth sores, tooth decay
- Chest:- Difficulty swallowing, cough, shortness of breath
- Abdomen:– Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- Pelvis:- Diarrhea, bladder irritation, frequent urination, sexual dysfunction
