Brain Cancer Treatment Treatment Cost in India

When a patient is diagnosed with brain cancer, it is important to know the type and grade or stage of the brain cancer to ensure the correct or rather the most effective treatment methodology.

A brain tumor in the brain is a mass of cells that are abnormal and has a very high rate of cell divisions. When they grow malignant so as to cause an interruption in other vital activities and cause interruption and eventually pose a threat to life then they are termed as brain cancer.

In primary brain cancer, the tumor starts in the tissues of the brain and gradually grows malignant.

In secondary brain tumors which are common cancer, originates somewhere and slowly spreads in the body to affect the brain. Breast, lung, colon, skin, and kidney are some of the most common cancers from where brain cancer is initiated.  The rate of cell division varies but healthy brain tissues will get affected with time. But brain cancers usually do not spread beyond the brain or spinal cord.

There are various grades of brain cancer and the oncologist has to study this for deciding the course of treatment. The stage or the grade will usually give an idea about the rate at which the tumor can grow and then spread.

• Grade 1: The cells appear normal. Initially, the growth is slow and long-term survival can be guaranteed for the patient
• Grade 2: They look abnormal to an extent and the growth is slow. The tumor spreads to tissues around and can again appear and this time with more threat to life.
• Grade 3: They are abnormal, and the growth is active and affecting brain tissues around.
• Grade 4: They mostly look abnormal and the spread and growth are rapid.

Usually, grade 3 and grade 4 types are cancerous.

Some of the symptoms of a brain tumor are:

1. Vomiting
2. Headaches and Nausea
3. Difficulties in walking and balancing
4. Problems in recognizing

But the above problems may or may not be linked with just brain cancer but can be a result of some other trouble as well. So proper diagnosis is highly recommended and the patient must speak to their doctor in detail to understand his or her condition for being treated correctly

?If you are suspected of having a brain tumor, your doctor can prescribe multiple tests and procedures, including:

• A neurological examination: A neurological evaluation can include testing your vision, ears, balance, agility, strength and reflexes, among other issues. Difficulty in one or more areas may provide hints as to the portion of your brain that a brain tumor may impact.
• Imaging Tests: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used to assist in brain tumor diagnosis. In some cases, during your MRI test, a dye may be pumped into your arm via a vein.A variety of advanced MRI scan components— including functional MRI, perfusion MRI, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy — can help the doctor determine the diagnosis for your tumor and schedule.
• Certain imaging examinations, including computerized tomography (CT), are sometimes recommended. Positron emission tomography (PET) may be used for brain imaging, but is usually not as effective as it is for other types of cancer to create images of brain cancer. Studies may detect tumors in other parts of your body. If your brain tumor is believed to be the result of cancer that has spread from another part of your body, your doctor may prescribe tests and procedures to determine where cancer originated. A CT or PET scan to look for signs of lung cancer could be one example.
• Collection and examination of an anomalous tissue (biopsy) sample: A biopsy may be done as part of a brain tumor removal procedure, or use a needle to do a biopsy. With brain tumors in hard-to-reach locations or very sensitive areas within the brain, a stereotactic needle biopsy may be performed which may be compromised by more intensive activity. Your neurosurgeon is boring a little hole into your brain. Instead, a small needle is inserted through the opening. The tissue is removed by means of a needle, which is often driven by CT or MRI scanning. The biopsy sample will then be looked at under a microscope to determine whether it is cancerous or benign.

The best Cancer treatment is done in India. Most of the treatment plans for brain cancer will require the involvement of quite a few consulting doctors. There will be neurosurgeons, oncologists, and primary health care providers.  A social worker, a dietician and a physical therapist can also be onboarded. Most treatment plans will include, surgery, radiation and chemotherapy and in some cases all three have to be done together to reap the best benefits.

Brain Cancer Surgery: People with brain cancer usually goes for surgery.  The goal is to ensure that the abnormality found in the test is a malignant one and the resulting elimination thereof.If the tumor is very difficult to remove, then the surgeon will get the tumor sample to test its form. In the case of mild one's symptoms can be treated by simply removing them surgically.

One can undergo various procedures and treatment options before undergoing surgery like:

Steroid drugs are administered like dexamethasone or Decadron in order to prevent swelling. The anticonvulsant drug is given to relieve or prevent any kind of seizures.

If the patient is suffering from an excessive collection of cerebrospinal fluid around the brain, then a thin plastic tube is placed called a shunt for the removal of the fluid. Where the fluid gets collected in the cavity, there at the end of the shunt’s one end is kept, and the other end is kept threaded under the skin of some part of the body. The fluid is drained from the brain to another site from where the fluid can be eliminated easily.

Radiation Therapy: In this kind of therapy very high energy rays are employed to destroy the cancerous tumor cells by preventing their growth and further division. This kind of therapy is useful for people who are unable to undergo surgical treatment. Again, at the same time, it is also used for filling any tumor cells that may stay behind after surgery.

This radiotherapy is a kind of local therapy. This means that only the cells that come across its path gets affected. It does not harm other cells and not even the healthy cells of the brain.

Radiation can be given to a patient in the following ways:

External radiation makes use of a high energy beam of radiation which is targeted at the cancerous tumor. Through the skin, the beam travels and penetrates the skull and healthy brain tissues to finally access the tumor. It is usually given 5 days a week for some period of time and the treatment only takes a few minutes.

In case of internal or implant type of radiation, tiny capsules made of a radioactive substance are placed inside the brain’s cancerous tumor. This capsule emits radiation which destroys the tumor. With each day the radioactive power of the capsule lessens and is calculated with precision to ensure that it runs out when the optimal dosage is given for the destruction of the tumor. The patient is expected to stay in the hospital for some time till the total dosage is received.

Stereotactic radiosurgery or knifeless surgical technique is another kind where no surgery is actually involved. Without the requirement of opening the skull, the tumor, in this case, is destroyed. An MRI or CT Scan is employed for pinpointing the exact location of the tumor in the brain. From different angles, a single high dose high energy radiation beam is focused on this tumor. The radiation totally destroys the tumor and has fewer amounts of complications associated compared to open surgery with the advantage of the shorter time of recovery.

Chemotherapy: This is the use of powerful drugs for the destruction of brain cancer cells.

A single or many drugs in combination can be used for killing the brain cancer tumor

The drug can be administered either through an intravenous line made in the arm or can be ingested via the mouth. Some of the medications are administered through the shunt that is placed for the drainage of excessive fluid.

Chemotherapy is provided in stages, and a cycle may consist of brief intensive treatment sessions followed by a long recovery period and adequate rest. Each cycle can last for nearly a few weeks.

The regimens are designed to allow the completion of at least 2 or 4 cycles. Then a therapy break is allowed to check for therapy success.

The side effects of chemotherapy can be really troublesome and it can be very difficult for many people to cope with it. Some are mouth sores, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, hair loss, problems with weight management. Simple medications and vitamin supplements can treat some of these side effects.

Apart from all the above, which has been discussed in the section before, there are new therapies that are constantly being developed. When any therapy shows the potential then it is further developed and studied in the lab for its effectiveness and improvement. Ideally it should be tested on people with cancer on clinical trial basis. But the problem that is more often faced by research fellows is that patients are not very enthusiastic to volunteer for clinical trials in fear of being wrongly treated and finally receive no benefits at all for their actual brain cancer and remain a specimen for experimentation and culture eventually. As a result, though, clinical trials have more potential of being effective, it cannot be tried in large numbers till all its aspects and effectiveness has not been established in the medical world properly.

Cost of brain cancer surgery may range between $5000 to $12000 which is almost 50 to 70% lower than the rates charged in the USA and Australia. And the cost of each session of therapy may range from $460 to $1300.