Frequently asked questions regarding colon cancer treatment

What are the factors that must be taken into account prior to deciding on a treatment protocol for you?

The right treatment protocol to be chosen depends on several factors including

1. Tumour's size

2.  Tumour's stage

3.  The health conditions of the patient being treated

4. Side-effects, Possible risks,  and cost of the treatment to be

chosen.

What type of colon cancer treatments are available in India?

At present, there are many colon cancer treatments in India that are employed to cure colon cancer from within. Some of them are:

1. Surgery: Surgery is the best way to deal with colon cancer; it involves a procedure, wherein, the operating surgeon removes only the damaged part of the colon or rectum, one that has a tumour from the body of the patient. The operating surgeon can use a variety of surgical intervention techniques to treat colon cancer that may include,

• Bowel Diversion Surgery: This surgery allows the normal movement of intestinal contents to be rerouted out of the body that may include procedures such as ileostomy, colostomy, ileoanal reservoir, and continent ileostomy.
• Cryosurgery:  This type of surgery involve the use of liquid nitrogen, argon or carbon dioxide to freeze and kill abnormal tissue growth like tumours. This procedure is generally used for treating precancerous lesions or tumours found on the skin.
• Radiofrequency Ablation: If your cancer has spread to the liver, this treatment option is the best bet for you. This procedure helps in destroying the tumours without eliminating them. The tumour destruction is caused by using high-energy radio waves or electromagnetic microwaves. Also, surgeons can inject a tumour with alcohol or freeze it with a metal probe to kill it.
• Laparoscopic Colectomy: This procedure involves the laparoscopic removal of all the parts of your colon.
• Polypectomy: This procedure is employed to eradicate the growth of the abnormal collection of tissue from the inner parts of the colon, also called the large intestine.

2. Chemotherapy: In this procedure, the patient is given a variety of drug combinations, either intravenously or orally to treat the pain and slow down the spread of cancer to other parts of the body. As soon as these chemo drugs enter the bloodstream of the patient, it begins killing the cells that are cancerous and have been metastasized to other parts of the body.  Having said that, chemotherapy can have severe side-effects such as hair loss, vomiting, fatigue, and mouth sores.

3. Targeted Treatments: Targeted treatments involve a treatment method wherein, the doctor uses drugs to treat the changes occurred in the cells leading to cancer. Since these treatments are used to combat cells that are cancerous, it has fewer side -effects than chemotherapy.

4. Radiation: In this procedure, cancerous cells are annihilated using high-energy waves. This procedure is either used before or after the main line of treatment to reduce the tumour's size or cutting down the risk of a possible relapse. The radiation given in this procedure allows to minimize the pain along with other symptoms of cancer. But, just like every other procedure, this treatment method involves side-effects as well, for example,  red, blistered skin, problems with your bowels or bladder, nausea etc.

Once the treatment comes to an end, these problems usually go away.

What is the cost of colon cancer treatment in India?

Indian medical facilities are regarded as one of the most preferred medical destinations on a global front at present. Two major contributing factors are quality and cost.

While the quality of the offered treatments in India is top-notch, the cost incurred is within one's reach too. This is why a sea of patients from all over the world seeking complex colon cancer treatment procedures plan to come to India.

The cost of Bowel diversion surgery is USD 6000, the cost of cryosurgery is USD 3000 and the cost of polypectomy is USD 2500. If you compare these estimated costs with the cost offered in countries like US and UK, you can find a huge difference; the cost of colon cancer treatment procedures in India is almost 30 to 50% lower than that in its developing counterparts.

Are there any cost influencing factors involved?

Yes, indeed. The cost of colon cancer treatment might vary on the basis of many factors that may include, the type of treatment procedure being performed, type of hospital, the operating surgeon's expertise and experience, medications prescribed during and after surgery, other treatments in conjunction with the chosen surgical procedure, and hospital stay period, to name a few.

Carve out your treatment plan journey with Medmonks:

The treatment procedures involved in the treatment of colon cancer are highly complex. India being structurally-equipped and having the access to top doctors and surgeons have become the prime choice for a majority of medical travellers from around the world today. MedMonks, a well-known health provider in India can help such people to plan their medical journey to India in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

With a best and highly experienced team of medical counsellors and association with India' most sought after hospitals, doctors, and surgeons, Medmonks can help people with colon cancer to gain the access to treatments at a fraction of the cost. Furthermore,  one can savour the cost benefits by choosing any one of the customized medical packages specially designed by Medmonks.

For more information regarding colon cancer treatment procedure, post your query @ medmonks.com or submit your query on [email protected]. Feel free to contact our professionals through Whatsapp- +91 7683088559.