Oncology In India
Oncology Treatment Techniques
Over one thousand new patients receive chemotherapy of the highest standards at Apollo every year. Conventional and aggressive (high dose) chemotherapy are routinely performed at Apollo Speciality Hospital, Chennai. Paediatric Oncology is under the care of specialised consultants, while Haemato-oncology is one of the most successful areas of Medical Oncology. The Department routinely performs chemotherapy for different solid tumours and drug combinations. Surgical Oncology
Complicated and delicate tumour removal is skilfully performed by Apollo’s highly trained and motivated surgical oncologists. They are ably supported by dedicated operating theatre, recovery and ICU staff. Apollo’s success rate of Oncology surgeries is comparable to the best centres in the world. Surgical oncologists remove tumours with the maximum possible surgical safety. This may result in defects – a challenge that Apollo’s reconstructive team is well-equipped to handle. Specialised surgeries like skull base, commando and liver resection are performed with high success rates.
Radiation for Cancer Therapy
The two kinds of Radiation for Cancer Therapy are External Beam Radiotherapy (EBRT) and Brachytherapy (Internal Irradiation). Apollo Speciality Hospital, Chennai, has 2 Linear Accelerators for External Beam Radiotherapy. Multi Leaf Collimators (MLC) with Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) are the latest developments for improvements in accuracy and precision, resulting in optimum radiation. Micro Multi Leaf Collimators (MMLC) are also deployed for Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy and Intensity Modulated Radiosurgery (IMRS), specifically for intracranial lesions. The Department at Apollo Speciality Hospital, Chennai, treats 100-120 patients per day. Around 10% of these patients are on High Precision Irradiation (SRT, IMRT). National and international expertise in Radiation Oncology and Medical Physics assures quality to match the best institutions worldwide.
Other facilities like the High Dose Rate (HDR) Micro-Selectron Brachytherapy Unit, computerised 3D treatment planning system for both traditional and inverse planning, and permanent or temporary isotope implantation are available for treating early carcinoma of the prostate. The Department uses the Iodine 125 Seed Implant technique or Ir 192 HDR Brachytherapy. The procedure requires short hospitalisation. In terms of convenience, it is superior to the conventional radical Prostatectomy and External Beam Radiotherapy. Apollo Speciality Hospital, Chennai, is among the pioneers of Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT). It has additional capabilities for special radiotherapies like Whole Skin Electron Irradiation or Whole Body Irradiation. These are used against skin lymphoma or leukaemia and are powerful tools in the hands of Apollo’s expert radiation oncologists. Several forms of High Precision Irradiation (HPI) are used at Apollo. The Department also has the additional capability of modulating the radiation intensity using a Multi Leaf Collimator.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy
Apollo Speciality Hospital, Chennai has performed groundbreaking results with Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) in South Asia. SRS is a widely accepted, cost-effective and non-invasive radiation technique employed to treat various types of intracranial lesions like Arteriovenous Malformation, Meningiomas and Acoustic Schwannomas. This is usually recommended when the risks involved with open surgery are higher. This procedure enables deep-seated lesions to be visualised, analysed and treated precisely.
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Multi Leaf Collimator is a field-shaping device that provides all kinds of irregular shapes to the radiation fields coming out of the Linear Accelerator (LA). This device consists of several leaves moving under remote computer control. Leaves can also be used for modulation of the intensity of radiation emerging from the Accelerator. This very complex form of High Precision Irradiation is capable of covering irregularly shaped target volumes with never before seen precision. It can save surrounding critical organs with previously unimaginable efficiency. Large numbers of patients with solid tumours benefit from this type of treatment.
Bone Marrow Transplantation
(BMT) Bone Marrow Transplants are performed to treat malignant conditions like Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, Lymphatic Leukaemia, Myeloma and Hodgkin’s disease. Specific cases of solid tumours and genetic disorders like Thalassemia have also benefited from this treatment. The BMT unit at Apollo has expertise in both Autologous and Allogenic bone marrow transplants. It has performed over 140 bone marrow transplants with clinical outcomes on par with the best in the world.
First Cord Blood Cell Transplantation in India
Cord blood, which is rich in stem cells, is now being used across the world for overcoming the HLA compatible factor. The first successful Cord Blood Transplant in India was performed at Apollo. Facilities for both Autologous and Allogenic Transplantation are available at Apollo along with additional facilities for peripheral stem harvest. Allogenic Transplantation uses a cell-separator and a freezing system to cryo preserve cells for future use.
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Posts tagged ‘India’
Prostate Cancer
Overview
The prostate is a glandular organ present only in males. Only men develop prostate cancer. The prostate is normally about 3 cm long (slightly more than 1 inch) and lies at the neck of the bladder and in front of the rectum.
Cancer occurs when normal cells undergo a transformation in which they grow and multiply without normal controls.
Almost all prostate cancers arise from the secretory glandular cells in the prostate.
Cancer arising from a glandular cell is known as adenocarcinoma. Therefore, almost all prostatic cancers are prostatic adenocarcinomas
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Stereotactic radiosurgery
What is stereotactic radiosurgery and how is it used?
Stereotactic radiosurgery is a highly precise form of radiation therapy used primarily to treat tumors and other abnormalities of the brain. Despite its name, stereotactic radiosurgery is a non-surgical procedure that delivers a single high-dose of precisely-targeted radiation using highly focused gamma-ray or x-ray beams that converge on the specific area or areas of the brain where the tumor or other abnormality resides, minimizing the amount of radiation to health brain tissue. Although stereotactic radiosurgery is often completed in a one-day session, physicians sometimes recommend multiple treatments, especially for tumors larger than one inch in diameter. The procedure is usually referred to as fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery when two to five treatments are given and as stereotactic radiotherapy when more than five treatments are given.
Stereotactic radiosurgery is an important alternative to invasive surgery, especially for tumors and blood vessel abnormalities located deep within or close to vital areas of the brain. Radiosurgery is used to treat many types of brain tumors, either benign or malignant and primary or metastatic and single or multiple. Sometimes radiosurgery is performed after surgery to treat any residual tumor cells. Additionally, radiosurgery is used to treat arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), a tangle of expanded blood vessels that disrupts normal blood flow in the brain and sometimes bleeds. AVMs are the leading cause of stroke in young people. Radiosurgery is also a treatment option for other neurological conditions. A similar technique may be used in other parts of the body and is known as Stereotactic Body Radiosurgery (SBRS).
Stereotactic radiosurgery works in the same way as other forms of radiation treatment. It does not actually remove the tumor; rather, it damages the DNA of tumor cells. As a result, these cells lose their ability to reproduce. Following the treatment, benign tumors usually shrink over a period of 18 months to two years. Malignant and metastatic tumors may shrink more rapidly, even within a couple of months. When treated with radiosurgery, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) begin to thicken and close off slowly, typically over several years.
What equipment is used?
There are three basic kinds of stereotactic radiosurgery equipment, each of which uses different instruments and sources of radiation:
Proton beam or heavy-charged-particle radiosurgery is in limited use in North America, though the number of centers offering proton therapy has increased dramatically in the last several years. See the Proton Therapy page for more information.
How is the procedure performed?
Gamma Knife radiosurgery involves four phases: placement of the head frame, imaging of the tumor location, computerized dose planning, and radiation delivery. In the first phase, a nurse will place a small needle in your hand or arm to give you medications and contrast, if needed, for imaging. A neurosurgeon will use local anesthesia to numb two spots on your forehead and two spots on the back of your head. A box-shaped head frame will be attached to your skull using specially designed pins to keep your head from moving until the treatment session is finished. This lightweight aluminum head frame is also a guiding device that makes sure the Gamma Knife beams are focused exactly where the treatment is needed.
Next, you will be taken to an imaging area where a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan will be performed to show the exact location of the tumor in relation to the head frame. In some cases, a computed tomography (CT) scan may be performed instead of, or in addition to, an MRI scan. If you are having treatment for an arteriovenous malformation, you may also have an angiogram.
During the next phase, you will be able to relax for an hour or two while your treatment team identifies the tumor(s) for treatment and develops a treatment plan using special computer software to optimally irradiate the tumor and minimize dose to surrounding normal tissues. Next, you will lie down on the Gamma Knife bed and your head frame will be fixed to the machine before beginning treatment. You will be made comfortable with a pillow or wedge-shaped sponge under your knees and a blanket over you. The treatment team will then go to the control are outside the treatment room to begin your treatment. You will be able to talk to your physician through a microphone in the helmet and a camera will allow the team to see you at all times. The bed you are lying on will move backward into the Gamma Knife machine. You will not feel the treatment and the machine is very quiet. Depending on the Gamma Knife model and the treatment plan, the whole treatment may be performed without interruption or it may be broken up into multiple smaller parts. The total treatment may last less than one hour or up to four hours. A chime will sound when the treatment is complete and the bed will return to its original position. As soon as the treatment is finished, you will sit up and the head frame will be removed. In most cases, you should be able to go home soon afterward.
Linear accelerator (LINAC) radiosurgery is similar to the Gamma Knife procedure and its four phases: head frame placement, imaging, computerized dose planning and radiation delivery. Unlike the Gamma Knife, which remains motionless during the procedure, part of the LINAC machine called a gantry rotates around the patient, delivering radiation beams from different angles. Compared to the Gamma Knife, the LINAC is able to use a larger x-ray beam, which enables it to treat larger tumors more uniformly and it can be used for fractionated radiosurgery or stereotactic radiotherapy using a relocatable frame, which is an advantage for large tumors or particularly critical locations.
A head frame is not necessary for CyberKnife treatment. Instead, a plastic mesh mask will be made to help hold your head in position and a detailed CT scan will be performed with your mask on. You may also have an MRI scan to align with this CT scan in the treatment planning computer. The imaging, treatment planning, and first treatment may be spread out over multiple days. You may have up to five treatments over the span of one or one and a half weeks. For the treatment, you will lie down and the mask will be placed over your head. X-ray images will be taken to ensure that you are in proper position, and then the treatment will begin. Your radiation therapist will monitor you at all times from outside the treatment room. The robotic arm will move around you to aim at the target from a hundred or several hundred directions. Your head won’t have to remain perfectly still during treatment; x-ray images taken every minute or so will detect any small movements of your head and the robot will correct for these small movements to ensure accuracy throughout the treatment. The treatment may last about one or two hours.
Is there any special preparation needed for the procedure?
Stereotactic radiosurgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis. However, be prepared to spend between12 and 16 hours in the hospital. You will need to have someone accompany you and drive you home afterward. You may be asked not to eat or drink anything after midnight on the night before your treatment. You should ask your physician about taking any medications on the day of your treatment and bring those medications with you to the procedure. You should also tell your physician if any of the following apply to you:
What will I feel during and after the procedure?
Radiosurgery treatments are similar to having an x-ray. You will not be able to see, feel or hear the x-rays. There is no pain or discomfort from the actual treatment. If you experience pain for other reasons, such as back pain or discomfort from the head frame, you should let your doctor or nurse know.
When the head frame is removed, there may be some minor bleeding from the pin sites that will be bandaged. You may experience a headache and can ask for medication to help make you feel more comfortable. In most cases, patients can resume all of their normal activities within one or two days. Side effects of radiation treatment include problems that occur as a result of the treatment itself as well as from radiation damage to healthy cells in the treatment area.
The number and severity of side effects you experience will depend on the type of radiation and dosage you receive and the part of your body being treated. You should talk to your doctor and nurse about any side effects you experience so they can help you manage them.
Radiation therapy can cause early and late side effects. Early side effects occur during or immediately after treatment and are typically gone within a few weeks. Common early side effects of radiation therapy include tiredness or fatigue and skin problems. Skin in the treatment area may become more sensitive, red, irritated, or swollen. Other skin changes include dryness, itching, peeling and blistering.
Depending on the area being treated, other early side effects may include:
Late side effects, which are rare, occur months or years following treatment and are often permanent. They include:
There is a slight risk of developing cancer from radiation therapy. Following radiation treatment for cancer, you should be checked on a regular basis by your radiation oncologist for recurring and new cancers.
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Bone Marrow Transplant in India at Mumbai and Delhi at Affordable Cost
What is Bone Marrow ?
Bone marrow is a spongy tissue found inside bones. The bone marrow in the breast bone, skull, hips, ribs and spine contains stem cells that produce the body’s blood cells. This is where the blood cells (RBC’s, platelets and WBC’s) are produced where they develop. These blood cells include white blood cells (leukocytes), which fight infection; red blood cells (erythrocytes), which carry oxygen, to and remove waste products from organs and tissues; and platelets, which enable the blood to clot. Each of these carries a life maintaining function. The bone marrow is a vital part of the human body.
Every type of blood cell in the bone marrow begins as a stem cell. Stem cells are immature cells that are able to produce other blood cells that mature and function as needed.
Stem cells are the most important cells needed in a bone marrow transplant. Stem cells, when transplanted, find their way to the recipient’s marrow and begin to differentiate and produce all types of blood cells that are needed by the body.
Why Transplant?
Bone marrow transplantation is used in a treatment of hereditary blood disease, hereditary metabolic disease, hereditary immune deficiencies and various forms of cancer such as leukemia, lymphomas and myelomas that affect the bone marrow.
You may have a bone marrow transplant if : –
Types of Bone Marrow Transplant
Allogeneic
The stem cells are collected from the blood or bone marrow of a related (brother or sister) or unrelated donor.
Autologous
The stem cells are collected from the blood or bone marrow of the patient prior to high-dose therapy and are stored until time of transplant.
Syngeneic
The stem cells are collected from the blood or bone marrow of an identical twin.
Procedure of Bone Marrow Transplant
Bone marrow transplant patients are usually treated in specialized centers and the patient stays in a special nursing unit (a bone marrow transplant unit) to limit exposure to infections. The hospitalisation period is from 4 to 6 weeks, during which time the patient is isolated and under strict monitoring because of the increased risk of infection and/or bleeding.
Donated bone marrow must match the patient’s tissue type. It can be taken from the patient, a living relative (usually a brother or a sister), or from an unrelated donor. Donors are matched through special blood tests called HLA tissue typing.
Bone marrow is taken from the donor in the operating room while one is unconscious and pain-free (under general anaesthesia). Some of the donor’s bone marrow is removed from the top of the hip bone. The bone marrow is filtered, treated, and transplanted immediately or frozen and stored for later use. Then, transplant material is transfused into the patient through a vein and is naturally transported back into the bone cavities where it grows to replace the old bone marrow.
Alternatively, blood cell precursors, called stem cells, can be induced to move from the bone marrow to the blood stream using special medications. These stem cells can then be taken from the bloodstream through a procedure called leukapheresis. The patient is prepared for transplantation by administering high doses of chemotherapy or radiation (conditioning). This serves two purposes. First, it destroys the patient’s abnormal blood cells or cancer. Second, it inhibits the patient’s immune response against the donor bone marrow (graft rejection).
Following conditioning, the patient is ready for bone marrow infusion. After infusion, it takes 10 to 20 days for the bone marrow to establish itself. During this time, the patient requires support with blood cell transfusions.
Risks of Bone Marrow Transplantation
There are many very serious risks and side effects to a bone marrow transplant.
These include : –
Another possible problem is that cells from a donor might not match your cells well enough and the new cells can begin attacking your cells. This is called graft versus host disease. This can be a serious problem, but it also can help to cure the cancer because the new cells also will attack any cancer cells that are left.
Bone Marrow Transplantation in India
Two of partner hospitals of We Care Health Services in India offer world class services for bone marrow transplant. The doctors have rich experience in international hospitals and comprehensive treatment is provided. The patient and the family is taken care of by We Care Health Services. Call for more information.
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Since last few years, best surgical facilities, latest techniques in the radiotherapy, advanced chemotherapy and bone transplantation units make India best destination for the patients suffering from cancer. There are many hospitals in India which cater especially for the treatment of different kinds of cancer and the same are operated by highly specialized and experienced doctors. The hospitals giving treatment to the foreign patients are either JCI or NABH accredited assuring higher standards in treatments and full care with all the modern facilities. Moreover the cost of the treatment is also 60 to 80 per cent low giving greater value to the medical tourists making their waves in India.
The development of the cancer treatment in India has led to the higher survival rate and caused improvement in the quality of life. Surgery is deemed as the leading form of cancer treatment in India and the new technologies has led the survival rate to increase double fold. Cost of the surgery for cancer in India is the most cost-effective and moreover the treatment to the poor is free. To give impetus to the cancer treatment in India there are now around 15 research centers conducting studies and researches aiming to remove cancer from its very roots. However it is always advised for the cancer patients visiting India for their treatment to find good medical coordinators. Heal & Wheel India is one such institute to deliver you what is best when it comes to the medical services. They have best physicians and doctors to deal with any kind of cancer and also suggest the best treatment process and hospital for the same according to the gravity and nature of the disease.
Cancer treatment in India is considered as the most reliable and effective and people are sure to get recover from the same if it is timely diagnosed. It is highly recommended to visit renowned hospitals meant only for treatment of cancer patients.
In India, study is always in contrasts, old and latest, ancient and recent, and this is shown even in their fitness and medical care these days. Asian work to care for the poor in India and they help keep track of incidences of different types of cancers, as well as serving many other functions. This society keeps track of all of the resources that are available for cancer treatments and also helps to record the trends and other statistics about cancer in India which are needed by the government and medical professionals. Much work is done in working with the rural poor and they have even established a Rehabilitation Center for cancer patients and survivors in the country which is known as one of the largest and best cancer treatment in India.
The modern approach to cancer treatment in India does not differ much from standard protocols in the USA. Treatment in the USA is more advanced in some ways and it is also more widely accepted among the population as a whole. India has access to the many different surgical operations and palliative therapies. They also have radiation clinics and treatment centers, usually located in the hospital settings. Chemotherapy treatment modalities and other drugs are also in use. There are many skilled doctors in India and many of them have trained for years in other countries to learn the latest skills.
One of the biggest differences in the cancer treatment in Delhi lies with the population and the ancient beliefs and traditions of their Swamis and other herbal healers. There is an ancient practice of medicine in India that is called Ayurevedic medicine and the Swamis, or holy men, are some of the more devoted participants in this form of medicine. An Ayurevedic healer has been trained in the art of using herbs and other plants to treat any ailment or disease. Many of the Indian people will use this form of medicine as opposed to any modern practices.
Ayurevedic medicine practitioners claim that anything can be healed with natural means and that you do not have to use any chemicals, drugs or surgical procedures. Some of the herbs and plants that are used do indeed have properties that are helpful to people and many of them are used in modern pharmaceuticals. There are hundreds of herbs found in India whose effectiveness or potential for human benefit are unknown. These natural cures are not all scientifically proven nor have most been subjected to rigorous independent testing procedures.
Cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells. Breast cancer forms in the tissues of the breast. Inflammation reduction, dysfunction of cellular mitochondria, high carbon dioxide and low oxygen levels are other focus of alternative therapies for breast cancer treatment in India. It is normally formed in the ducts. It can be detected using a mammogram or a through a self-exam. It is advised that these tests should be done regularly so that early detection can be made. With early detection, advances in treatment and therapy, survival rates are highly increased. Symptoms include a lump in the breast, discharge from the nipple, or a noticeable change in the size or shape of a breast. Some of the factors that contribute to this type are genes, age or even family history of the disease.
There are many alternative approaches for dealing with this type of cancer. For example; homeopathy, use of supplements, acupuncture, massage or use of herbs. Ayurveda is also one of these alternatives. This type of treatment originates from India, but is also used and accepted around the world as a complementary and alternative form of medicine. It is used to bring about a faster response and reduce the side effects of conventional drugs. It also helps prevent recurrence of diseases and also prolong survival rates. These medicines are also used to prevent diseases, to protect and to cure chronic diseases in the body. In addition, they are used to correct immunity disorders in the body.
In most cases, people usually go through the conventional methods of getting a prognosis before treatment can be diagnosed. However, in cases where traditional Ayurveda is still practiced, the patient is asked questions. To answer these questions, all the five senses must be used. A prognosis is then made and the necessary formulations given for treatment. Nowadays, most patients prefer to undergo conventional methods of diagnosis. They then combine the conventional drugs together with the alternative Ayurveda medicine.
While taking Ayurveda medicine for breast cancer treatment or any other cancer, you need to continually visit your oncologist for checkups. Formulations for ayurveda treatments are made using seven metals and herbs. The herbs used include; gold, silver, zinc, tin, lead, copper, and iron. However, cases of lead poisoning have been reported over time. This often occurs when some of the formulations have been prepared with excess lead quantities, above the regulated standards.
