Are you diagnosed with prostate cancer and looking for affordable treatment options? Well India could be the destination for your external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer, which not only offers advanced treatment alternatives but also world class medical infrastructure and expert surgeons that too at an affordable price. In the recent past, India has become a globally recognized, low-priced medial tourism destination with high quality standards of medical care. People from across Asia, Africa and other low income countries visit India as their preferred location to seek treatment for complex surgeries.
In India, prostate cancer is among the top 10 major cancers, which generally impacts men beyond 65 years of age. But in past few years this disease is also showing up among younger age groups, who are living in urban areas. There are multiple reasons behind this disease including obesity, genetic alterations, old age, and imbalanced diet. By 2020, the prostate cancer cases are expected to rise to about 55,000 in India.
What is Prostate Cancer?
Prostate gland is responsible for secretion of seminal fluid in males and apart from carrying and nourishing the sperm. A prostate tumor development occurs in the glad when cells grow abnormally, which may propagate in other body parts if not diagnosed in time. Depending on the cancer stage progression, various forms of treatment are considered to cure the prostate cancer tumor such as radical prostatectomy, external beam radiation, hormone therapy etc.
Radiation Therapy Procedures for Prostate Cancer:
There are three major procedures that use radiations to treat prostate cancer including stereotactic radiotherapy, external beam radiation therapy and brachytherapy. These procedures are generally used for early stage prostate cancer treatment.
Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy
Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy or SBRT refers to a non-invasive procedure, which comprises of 5 extremely focused radiation sessions. The entire procedure is image-guided and delivers good results.
Brachytherapy
This technique was introduced back in 90s and uses tiny radioactive implants into the prostate under ultra sonic guidance, which emits radiations over a period of time to reduce the cancer cells.
External Beam Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer
External beam radiation therapy or EBRT is known for its accuracy for radiation delivery to the targeted spot in prostate. The procedure involves controlled drug delivery through for example IMRT (intensity modulated radiation therapy) resulting in optimal treatment of affected cells and reduced exposure to the healthy cells. This procedure uses high energy beams of X-rays to destroy the prostate cancer cells by using a linear accelerator.
This technique is effective in eliminating the genetic traces that control disease progression EBRT is considered as a standard radiation procedure to cure prostate cancer and is suitable for candidate who redevelops prostate cancer even after the surgery.
Prostate Cancer Treatment in India
Radiation based prostate cancer therapy is rapidly advancing in India along with the growing cases of this deadly disease. Indian healthcare infrastructure is a mix of multimodal healthcare delivery setups akin to its diverse socioeconomic background. This also impacts the adoption of newer technologies in the field of radiation oncology from the West. The treatment resources in the country are based on a dynamic approach based on the peculiar challenges witnessed during disease progression.
In India, treatment cost for prostate cancer varies according to the tumor size, disease progression stage and the procedure that suits best to the patient. Expert team of radiation oncologist thoroughly examines a candidate to understand the case and prepare the treatment regime and follow up procedures. Availability of all advanced treatment options makes the procedure safe and reliable with significant success and more than 65% mortality rates over five years. Besides affordable medical care, the price for accommodation is also low in India, which again makes it a best option for prostate cancer treatment. Dedicated chains of super specialty hospitals are giving new edge to cancer care in India. Patients can now seek most advanced treatment in India, which are at par with global standards.
