India provides comprehensive oncology treatment across medical, surgical, and radiation oncology. Cancer treatments include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, precision medicine, personalized cancer treatment plans, and multidisciplinary cancer care for various types of cancers.

India is widely recognized as a destination for cancer treatment among international patients, offering advanced technology, modern cancer centers, and experienced oncologists.

 

➡️ Robotic-Assisted Surgery: In India, highly skilled surgical oncologists utilise advanced robotic systems to perform complex surgeries, including robotic-assisted prostatectomy, robotic-assisted hysterectomy, and robotic-assisted colorectal surgeries. These procedures result in smaller incisions, reduced blood loss & faster recovery. Robotic-assisted surgery improves precision and outcomes in cancer treatment (robotic cancer surgery, minimally invasive oncology). Advanced radiation therapies such as IMRT, IGRT, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), and proton therapy are used to target tumors while sparing healthy tissue.

➡️ Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy remains one of the main treatments for many types of cancer. It uses special drugs designed to target and destroy rapidly dividing cancer cells. Depending on your specific diagnosis, chemotherapy may be used as the primary treatment or combined with surgery, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy to achieve the best possible results.

➡️ High-Precision Radiation Therapy: Advanced radiation therapies include IMRT, IGRT, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), brachytherapy, and proton therapy, helping minimize damage to surrounding healthy tissues. These advanced techniques deliver targeted radiation to tumours while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. Indian radiation oncologists employ these procedures for various cancer types, including brain tumours, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and head and neck cancers.

➡️ Proton Therapy: India has witnessed significant advancements in radiation treatments for cancer, such as proton therapy. While it is a highly effective treatment for pediatric tumours, sarcomas, head and neck cancers, and prostate cancer, it is only available in a select few JCI/NABH accredited multi-speciality and super speciality hospitals in India, including Apollo Proton Cancer Centre and Tata Memorial Centre.

Proton therapy or proton beam therapy is a type of radiation treatment that delivers a precise beam of protons to help destroy cancer cells. When compared to traditional radiation treatments, protons have unique properties that enable oncologists to target radiation based on the size and shape of the tumour. The proton beam helps in destroying the tumour while safekeeping the surrounding tissues.

➡️ Targeted Therapy and Immunotherapy: India has witnessed significant advancements in targeted therapy and immunotherapy for cancer treatment. These precision medicine approaches involve the use of specific drugs or immune system modulators that target cancer cells or boost the body's immune response against cancer. Indian oncologists employ targeted therapy and immunotherapy in the management of various cancers, including lung cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, and haematological malignancies, providing personalized treatment options and improved outcomes.

➡️ Paediatric Oncology Treatment: India has dedicated paediatric oncology centres offering specialized care for children with cancer. These centres provide comprehensive treatments, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and innovative therapies for paediatric cancers.<br><br>

➡️ Bone marrow transplant: Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT), also known as a stem cell transplant, is a medical procedure that is used to replace damaged or diseased bone marrow with healthy blood-forming stem cells. It is used when diseases like leukaemia, lymphoma, or aplastic anaemia have caused the marrow to fail or when high-dose chemotherapy has destroyed it. 

The primary goal of BMT is to restore the body’s ability to produce normal red blood cells (oxygen transport), white blood cells (immune defence), and platelets (clotting).

It is used to treat Blood Cancers such as Leukaemia, Lymphoma and multiple myeloma, or replace damaged bone marrow which could be the result of chemotherapy/radiation therapy. BMT is also used to treat other disorders such as Sickle Cell disease, Thalassemia and aplastic anaemia. BMT is also used to replace bone marrow defects such as inherited metabolic or immune deficiency disorders. 

There are three main types of BMT, determined by the source of the stem cells: 

➡️Autologous Transplant: The patient’s own stem cells are collected, frozen, and re-infused after intensive chemotherapy or radiation. This eliminates the risk of rejection.

➡️Allogeneic Transplant: Stem cells come from a donor—usually a sibling, relative, or matched unrelated donor (MUD).

➡️Umbilical Cord Blood Transplant: Stem cells are taken from a new born’s umbilical cord, which is stored in a bank. 

With advancements in HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) matching and supportive care, success rates have improved significantly, offering long-term cures for patients.

CAR T-cell therapy is a groundbreaking immunotherapy treatment for specific kinds of blood cancers. The treatment involves introducing a new gene that changes T lymphocytes or T-cells to help them detect and fight cancer cells more efficiently. This is possible because CAR T-cell therapy enables the surface proteins or receptors of T-cells to recognise cells with abnormal antigens. Further, the treatment enables T-cells to multiply further, therefore allowing patients to live longer despite the resurgence of blood cancer in patients.

CAR T-cell therapy is available in various multi-speciality and super-speciality hospitals across India such as Apollo Hospitals, Max Healthcare and Tata Memorial Hospital. Under the guidance of top doctors, CAR T-cell therapy in India has demonstrated unprecedented success in blood cancer types such as leukaemia and lymphoma.