Get affordable Colorectal Cancer Treatment in India with GetWellGo

GetWellGo offers affordable colorectal cancer treatment in India with top oncologists, advanced therapies, and trusted hospitals for international patients seeking quality care.

Get affordable Colorectal Cancer Treatment in India with GetWellGo

Colorectal cancer treatment in India

Depending upon the stage of cancer, overall health of the patient and the location being either colon or rectum, colorectal cancer treatment varies. Here is how things break down:

Primary Treatment in Early Stages- Surgery

  • Polypectomy /Local Excision - Very Early-stage or tumor detected during colonoscopy.
  • Colectomy (Colon Resection) – Excises a portion of the colon that includes the tumor as well as adjacent lymph nodes.
  • Proctectomy - Excises some or the entire rectum on rectal cancer.
  • Minimally invasive alternatives Non-surgical pain reduction and recovery It involves surgical options such as Laparoscopic surgery or robotic-assisted surgery.

Chemotherapy

  • Applied prior to surgery (neoadjuvant) to reduce tumor size, or afterward (adjuvant) to destroy leftover cancer.
  • Common chemotherapy: 5-Fluorouracil ( 5-FU), Capecitabine, Oxaliplatin, Irinotecan.
  • When used, frequently in regimens FOLFOX or FOLFIRI.

Radiation Therapy

  • Far more prevalent in rectal, rather than in colon, cancer.
  • It may be external beam radiation or intraoperative radiation.
  • Routinely used with preoperative chemotherapy to enhance the success.

Targeted Therapy

  • Focuses on the mechanism of cancer cells.

Common options:

  • Bevacizumab (Avastin) inhibits development of blood vessels.
  • Cetuximab & Panitumumab - inhibitor EGFR pathway (in KRAS wild-type cancer).

Immunotherapy

  • In metastatic or advanced colorectal carcinoma having microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR).
  • Drugs: Pembrolizumab, Nivolumab.

Palliative Care

  • To prevent late-stage cancer symptoms, ease symptoms, and support related complications such as pain, bowel obstruction, or bleeding to help improve comfort.

Colon cancer treatment India

Here's a simple, stage-by-stage colon cancer treatment plan — it's somewhat unique from rectal cancer since radiation is never used except in unusual circumstances.

Stage 0 (Carcinoma in Situ)

  • Polypectomy or local excision during colonoscopy (if the cancer only involves the mucosa).
  • No additional treatment generally required.

Stage I

  • Surgical removal (colectomy) with the removal of surrounding lymph nodes.
  • No chemotherapy unless there are high-risk features (rare).

Stage II

  • Surgery – lymph node dissection and colectomy is the primary treatment.
  • Adjuvant chemotherapy is considered if high-risk features are present:
  • Tumor perforation or obstruction
  • Spread of cancer to adjacent organs
  • Less than 12 lymph nodes sampled
  • Chemo options: Capecitabine or 5-FU/leucovorin ± Oxaliplatin (CAPOX, FOLFOX).

Stage III

  • Surgery – colectomy with lymph node dissection.
  • Adjuvant chemotherapy is routine:
  • FOLFOX (5-FU, leucovorin, oxaliplatin)
  • CAPOX (capecitabine + oxaliplatin)
  • Typically administered for 3–6 months.

Stage IV (Metastatic)

Systemic chemotherapy ± targeted therapy:

  • FOLFOX, FOLFIRI, CAPOX
  • Bevacizumab, Cetuximab, Panitumumab (according to KRAS/NRAS mutation status)
  • Surgical resection of metastases (liver, lung) if possible for cure.
  • Palliative stenting or surgery to remove obstruction or bleeding if unresectable.

Targeted Therapy

  • VEGF inhibitors (Bevacizumab, Aflibercept) – inhibit slow growth of blood vessels.
  • EGFR inhibitors (Cetuximab, Panitumumab) – only for KRAS/NRAS wild-type tumors.
  • BRAF inhibitors (Encorafenib) – for BRAF V600E mutation.

Immunotherapy

  • Pembrolizumab, Nivolumab ± Ipilimumab – for MSI-H/dMMR advanced colon cancers.

Rectal cancer treatment in India

Treatment of rectal cancer is slightly different to that of colon cancer due to the anatomy of the rectum in the pelvis area and its proximity to the anal sphincter among other important structures. So here is a stage-by-stage breakdown:

Malignant PTSD Early-Stage (Stage 0-I)

  • Local excision or transanal endoscopic microsurgery - in case of small size, the tumor is limited inside the wall of undermined lymph nodes, and free of developing to such.
  • Low anterior resection (LAR) - involves the removal of the part of the rectum and keeps the anal sphincter.
  • Abdominoperineal resection (APR) - excises the anus and the rectum; this procedure demands a permanent colostomy (needed only when tumor is very low in the rectum).

Stage II-III (Locally advanced)

CRT preoperative (neoadjuvant)

  • Radiation therapy AND chemotherapy (typically 5-Fluouracil or Capecitabine) pre-surgery to downsize tumor and decrease the risk of recurrence.

CRT followed surgery

  • Total mesorectal excision (TME) standard procedure involved in the complete resection of the tumour with clear margins.
  • Some cases, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (FOLFOX, CAPOX).

Stage IV (Metastatic)

  • Fixed-duration chemoradiotherapy chemotherapy (FOLFOX, FOLFIRI, CAPOX) (± targeted therapy (Bevacizumab, Cetuximab, Panitumumab according to mutational profile)).
  • Metastasectomy (surgery of metastases) in case of possibility of liver, lungs, and so on.
  • Palliative Radiation to manage such symptoms as bleeding, pain, or obstruction.

Targeted Therapy /Immunotherapy

Targeted drugs:

  • EGFR inhibitors (Cetuximab, Panitumumab) - KRAS /NRAS wild type.
  • VEGF inhibitors (Bevacizumab, Aflibercept) - to prevent growth of blood vessels.

Immunotherapy:

  • Pembrolizumab or Nivolumab -in case of MSI-H/dMMR tumors.

Selected Patients - Organ Preservation Approach 

  • Depending on the case, when the response to neoadjuvant therapy is complete there is a possible plan that the doctors can implement a so-called watch-and-wait approach where they do not prompt the patient to undergo surgery but keep a close eye on it under monitoring.

Best colorectal cancer hospitals in India

Top colorectal cancer surgeons in India

Colorectal cancer surgery in India

The procedure of colorectal cancer will be to remove the lymph nodes around the surgical site, tumor and some healthy tissues to reduce the likelihood of recurrence. The precise use will depend on the location of the cancer in the body (colon or rectum) and the stage of cancer. Surgery of Colon Cancer:

Local Procedures (early, early stage)

  • Polypectomy - cancerous polyps are removed through colonoscopy.
  • Local excision - its removal involves a small portion of the inner lining.

Colectomy (Colon Resection)

  • Partial Colectomy / Hemicolectomy makes the removal of a section of the colon where the tumour is together with some lymph nodes in the area.
  • Total Colectomy - It removes the whole colon (occurs rarely and is normally done on a heritable basis like FAP).

Surgical Approaches:

Open surgery -Big belly cut.

  • Laparoscopic surgery Lower incisions, less recovery time.
  • Robotic-assisted surgery- Increased accuracy.

Surgery of rectal cancer:

Local Procedures

  • Transanal Local Excision, small and early stage: The tumor is stage I.
  • Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM) - Special instruments are used to remove precisely.

Total Rectal Resections

  • Low Anterior Resection (LAR) - It is the removal of upper/mid-rectum, bowel joined back to retain normal defecation.
  • Proctectomy Total Mesorectal Excision (TME) Operation - Cut out rectum + lymph nodes around it.
  • Abdominoperineal Resection (APR) - Eliminates rectum and anus; necessitates permanent colostomy (when tumor is very low).
  • Proctocolectomy - Removes colon + rectum (usually in hereditary).

Surgery of Metastatic / Advanced Disease

  • Metastasectomy: Removal of the liver, or lung spread or other organs should this be possible.
  • Palliative surgery: Alleviates the blockage, bleeding or pain without any intention of making a cure.
  • Diverting colostomy or ileostomy - This procedure is used to make an opening in the abdomen that passes stool around the damaged part.

Important Purposes of Surgery

  • Clean clear adequate margins of non-cancerous tissue around the tumor.
  • At least 12 lymph nodes must be removed accurately in a process of staging.
  • In most cases, maintain sphincter and bowel functions.
  • Reduce complications by having an effective surgical planning.

Colorectal cancer treatment in India GetWellGo

GetWellGo is a healthcare tourism agent that assists foreign patients to receive high-quality colon and rectal cancer treatment in India. They will collaborate with the best accredited hospitals- like Apollo, Medanta, Fortis and Manipal and provide services in terms of helping in:

  • Online booking of Appointment & online/virtual consultations
  • Estimating costs and open pricing
  • Airport pickup, visa/travelling advice or assistance
  • Translation of language and global patient assistance

Why Choose GetWellGo for Colorectal Cancer Treatment?

GetWellGo is regarded as a leading supplier of healthcare services. We help our foreign clients choose the best treatment locations that suit their needs both financially and medically.

We offer:

  • Complete transparency
  • Fair costs.
  • 24 hour availability.
  • Medical E-visas
  • Online consultation from recognized Indian experts.
  • Assistance in selecting India's top hospitals for colorectal cancer treatment.
  • Expert oncologists with a strong track record of success
  • Assistance during and after the course of treatment.
  • Language Support
  • Travel and Accommodation Services
  • Case manager assigned to every patient to provide seamless support in and out of the hospital like appointment booking
  • Local SIM Cards
  • Currency Exchange
  • Arranging Patient’s local food
     

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