Immunotherapy for cancer in India for International Patients

Immunotherapy for cancer in India attacks tumors using your own defenses. Let GetWellGo arrange your advanced treatment, airport rides, and safe trip.

Immunotherapy for cancer in India for International Patients

Immunotherapy for cancer in India

Immunotherapy is used to enhance or alter your immune system such that it will be better placed to identify and attack cancer cells. It is not as destructive like chemotherapy that directly kills cancer but boosts the natural defense of the body.

Immunotherapy that is available in India

Common options include:

  • Checkpoint inhibitors.
  • Monoclonal antibodies
  • The CAR-T cell application 
  • Cancer vaccines & cytokines

Benefits

  • Individualized and specific therapy.
  • Less side effect compared to chemotherapy (in certain instances)
  • Useful with end stage cancers.
  • Has the ability to increase the survival rates of the selected patients.

Factors Affecting Cancer immunotherapy cost in India

The price of cancer immunotherapy in India is highly fluctuating since the price is determined by various medical, logistical, and personal factors. The knowledge of these can assist patients to arrange treatment and control the costs. The main aspects that influence the prices of immunotherapy in India are:

Drug of Immunotherapy type

  • Various treatments like checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T cell therapy, monoclonal antibodies come with different costs. 

Type and Stage of Cancer

  • The cancers at an early stage might require a fewer number of cycles.
  • The cancers that are advanced or metastatic demand longer and combination therapy which is expensive.

Age of the patient during the treatment cycles

  • Immunotherapy is administered after every 2-4 months in months or years.
  • The more the cycles, the more the cost will be.

Hospital Type & Infrastructure

  • The same is higher in the case of the private corporate hospitals compared to the government or charitable hospitals.
  • High-tech facilities as well as accreditation also add to prices.

City or Location

  • Infrastructure and demand are the major factors that make metro cities relatively more expensive in terms of their treatment.

Diagnostic & Biomarker Testing

  • Such tests as PD-L1, MSI, or genetic profiling must be done prior to treatment.
  • These have the ability to increase cost.

Side Effects/ Complication Management

  • Serious cases of side effects that are related to the immune system might entail hospital admission, drugs, or surgeries.
  • This has the potential to add a lot of costs.

Professionalism and Treatment Plan of the doctor

  • Well trained oncologists or individualized care plans might be expensive.
  • Therapies that use combination (immunotherapy and chemo/targeted therapy) are also expensive.

Patient’s Health & Age

  • Additional monitoring and care may be necessary to the patients who have other medical conditions.
  • This will increase the overall treatment cost.

Duration of Treatment

  • Long-term treatment (months to years) is very expensive in terms of the costs of repeating the drug use as well as hospital visits.

Best immunotherapy hospitals in India

Advanced cancer immunotherapy India

Immunotherapy is applied in the case of advanced cancer to:

  • Slow tumor growth
  • The spread of cancer (metastasis) is controlled.
  • Enhance life and longevity.
  • In some cases, remission in long term.
  • Its action is to stimulate the immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells in a more efficient manner including in the later stages.

Cancer Type used in the treatment of advanced cancer

India also has all the major contemporary immunotherapy services:

  • Axial agents 
  • CAR-T cell therapy 
  • Monoclonal antibodies
  • Combination therapy 

Immunotherapy treatment success rate India

The effectiveness of the Indian cancer immunotherapy depends on the cancer type, stage, and patient-related factors, however, on the whole, the results are at the same level as other world countries, and they are improving very fast.

Overall success rate of Immunotherapy

  • General response rate: 20% -45% of most solid cancers
  • Melanoma or lymphoma: 60% -80% 
  • Clinical benefit: 33% for 3 months
  • Overall response rate: About 26% (tumor shrinkage partially or completely)

Success Rate by Type of Cancer

  • Lung cancer: ~25%–45% response
  • Melanoma & lymphoma: ~40%–60%
  • High grade cancers in general: 15%- 50% range of survival advantage.
  • Sarcoma: response & disease control: 21% & 43% respectively

CAR-T in India 

  • Additional CAR-T therapy (blood cancers) is indigenous and the trials of this treatment have a success rate of about 70%+.
  • There is also no cure that is particularly effective in lymphoma or leukemia.

Oncology immunotherapy doctors India

Conclusion

The immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of cancer in India and has given fresh ray of hope to cancer patients particularly those with advanced or incurable cancers. Although the success rate is usually between 20 and 45 percent, the chosen patients with the appropriate biomarkers and types of cancers have a much higher success rate with better results such as long-term remission. India offers the availability of the contemporary immunotherapy at relatively low prices with results that are at the global standards. The outcome however depends on the personal factors such as the stage of cancer, type of cancer and health. 

Immunotherapy for cancer in India​with GetWellGo

GetWellGo is regarded as a leading supplier of healthcare services. We help our foreign patients 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.
  • Help in identifying India's best hospitals for Immunotherapy.
  • Expert oncologists with high success rate and experience.
  • 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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