Advanced stomach cancer treatment in India | Stomach cancer treatment cost in India
Stomach cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men, and it is the seventh most common cancer in women. In 2020, stomach cancer causes 769000 deaths worldwide according to WHO. In terms of new cases in 2020 of stomach cancer is 1.09 million.
However, with the advanced stomach cancer treatment in India, the survival rates of stomach cancer patients are also increasing. Though the detection of stomach cancer itself is a matter of concern, with the right treatment and the right doctor at the right time, you can beat stomach cancer.
Let’s understand from the experience of Mr. Amir Hussien, from Tallinn, Estonia.
Mr. Amir is a 43-year-old gentleman who leads the sales team in a reputed company that sells technology solutions to businesses. Mr. Amir has two children and a wonderful wife. Despite a stressful job, he managed to take time to spend with his family.
Three years back, Mr. Amir was starting to have some nausea and he wasn’t eating that well. Amir also lost 12 KG of weight in a short period of time. Amir decided to visit the doctor for a check-up. The doctor physically examined Amir and suggested a blood test and ultrasound and Amir did the test and went back home to wait for the results.
The doctor called him the next day and informed him that he was anemic and an ulcer was suspected. The doctor suggested to Amir to visit a gastroenterologist for a gastric endoscopy. Mr. Amir followed the suggestion and booked an appointment with a gastroenterologist for the endoscopy in the coming week. The doctor did the endoscopy and found an abnormal mass.
Mr. Amir was anticipating an ulcer but it turned out to be stomach cancer. Amir was in shock as the doctor suggested he do a CT scan to check the spread of the cancer. Amir did the CT scan and the results came. Amir had a lesion on his liver and stage IV stomach cancer that day his whole life changed.
Amir and his wife were in shock and had a feeling of their whole life-shattering in their eyes. Amir’s Elder son Hussien supported them and started searching for the best stomach cancer treatment for his father. While searching he came to know about MedicoExperts and Tumor board approach for cancer treatment.
Hussien contacted MedicoExperts and forwarded all the reports, the MedicoExperts team explained to Hussein about the Tumor Board approach and also arranged the online video consultation so that all the doubts regarding the treatment were cleared. Amir, after understanding all the details, decided to come to India for the treatment.
After 15 Days, Amir along with his son Hussien came to India. Amir was admitted to the hospital on the same day. A pre-evaluation test was performed to check the current spread of cancer.
The doctor started the treatment with three rounds of chemotherapy. After that, the surgical oncologist did the full gastrectomy, which was the removal of the whole stomach. Amir also had a distal pancreatectomy, where part of Amir’s pancreas was removed. After the surgery, a few rounds of chemotherapy and radiation therapy were given.
After the treatment, a CT scan was performed again to check the outcome of the treatment and Amir was cancer-free.
Amir and his family were very happy with the results and thanked the doctor and MedicoExperts.
This can be your story as well to win the battle against stomach cancer even if you have complex cancer. What you need is the right guidance and the right treatment at the right time from the right experts.
Before we move ahead with stomach cancer symptoms, stages of stomach cancer, stomach cancer treatment, and survival rates, let’s understand what stomach cancer is.
The stomach is an important part of the digestive system. When we eat food, first it is chewed in the oral cavity and then food enters the esophagus tube. The esophagus tube then takes food to the stomach. The stomach secretes gastric juices on the food. Food and gastric juices mix up and move further in the small intestine.
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells. So, in stomach cancer (gastric cancer), uncontrolled growth of cells takes place in the stomach and other body parts around. But, it is not an overnight thing. It takes years to develop. Before cancer cells develop, some pre-cancerous changes take place.
These changes do not cause any symptoms and often go unnoticed.
Symptoms occur after more development of cancerous cells and different parts of the stomach may show different types of symptoms.
Let’s now understand the different stages of stomach cancer.
What are different types of stomach cancer?
There are different forms of stomach cancer. Here are the different types and their details in the upcoming list.
It is the most common type of stomach cancer. It is found in 90 to 95% of the cases of stomach cancer. Adenocarcinoma is further divided into 2 types.
The first one is Intestinal carcinoma which is slow to grow and can be cured. It is found in elderly people.
The second one is Diffuse adenocarcinoma, which is rare and aggressive. So, it spreads fast in the body. It is found in younger people.
Lymphoma is a rare type of stomach cancer. The occurrence of lymphoma in the stomach is 4% of total stomach cancer. Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system present in the stomach.
Carcinoid tumors form in hormone-producing cells in the stomach. They generally do not spread to other organs and are rare in nature, 3% of total stomach cancers are carcinoid tumors. So, that was all about types of stomach cancer.
Now we will see what causes stomach cancer.
The stage of your stomach cancer tells you, The location, size, and spread of a tumor or cancer cells in your stomach. Stomach cancer is classified according to the following five stages, depending on the time of discovery:
In this stage abnormal cells are found in the mucosa layer of the stomach. The mucosa is the innermost layer of the stomach and It lines the lumen of the digestive tract.
In the stage 1 cancer cells would be formed in the mucosa layer and may be formed in the submucosa layer. The submucosa layer is the layer next to the mucosa layer.
In stage 2 cancer cells spread to the submucosa layer and may spread upto muscular cells and nearby lymph nodes.
In stage 3 cancer spreads to more lymph nodes and muscle layers. In stage 3 cancer also spreads to the nearby organs like the adrenal gland, abdomen wall, small intestine, pancreas, and spleen.
It is the most advanced stage of cancer. In this stage, cancer spreads to distant body parts like the lungs, liver, and distant lymph nodes.
The early stages of stomach cancer may not have any symptoms. Symptoms can be found in later stages. This is the reason most stomach cancers are not found until they have grown so large.
Still, these are some symptoms of stomach cancer.
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss without any reason
- Pain in abdomen
- Feeling tiredness
- Nausea
- Blood in stool or vomiting
- Chest burning
- Indigestion
As you can see, these symptoms are too common to predict stomach cancer. These symptoms can be because of other reasons as well like stomach ulcers. But, if symptoms remain for a longer period without getting cured then one should go through cancer screening to identify the exact reason.
Now, let’s move to the important part.
There are various risk factors associated with stomach cancer. If you are associated with any of these risk factors, you should control them, to prevent stomach cancer.
- Age: Stomach cancer is more common in elderly people above 65. So, it is advisable to go through regular screening. It can happen to young people as well but it is not so common.
- Gender: Stomach cancer is more common in males than females.
- Helicobacter pylori infection: The presence of Helicobacter pylori in the stomach causes stomach cancer. It is one of the major causes of stomach cancer.
- Obesity: Obesity or being overweight increases the risk of stomach cancer in the upper part.
- Diet: Eating processed, grilled, salted, and pickled vegetables increases the risk of stomach cancer. Eating no fruits and green vegetables increases the risk of stomach cancer. High alcohol consumption also increases the risk of stomach cancer.
As you already know about various risk factors, let’s see how you feel when you have stomach cancer.
Now, let’s go deep and understand the methods and procedures used for diagnosing stomach cancer in the following list.
A CT scan uses x-rays taken from various angles to create images of the inside of the body. These images are combined by a computer into a detailed, three-dimensional image that reveals any abnormalities or tumors. A CT scan can be used to determine the size of the tumor.
To look into your stomach, your doctor will insert a thin, flexible tube with a small camera down your throat.
A PET scan is a technique for generating images of organs and tissues within the body. The patient is given a small amount of a radioactive sugar substance to inject into his or her body. The cells that use the most energy absorb this sugar substance. Cancer absorbs more of the radioactive substance because it uses energy actively. The substance is then detected by a scanner, which produces images of the inside of the body.
A small piece of tissue from your stomach is taken and examined under a microscope for signs of cancer cells. This could happen during an endoscopy.
There are various types of stomach cancer treatment in India. It completely depends on the types and stages of cancer. The treatment completely depends on the location of the cancer in the stomach, the aggressiveness of the cancer, and the stage of the cancer. Here we have given all available treatments for stomach cancer from stage zero to more advanced stages.
The basic purpose of surgery is to remove all the cancerous cells and some healthy cells around them. It can include
- removing early tumors from the stomach lining
- removing some parts of the stomach
- removing entire stomach
- removal of lymph nodes to find cancer
Chemotherapy is a chemical therapy used to kill cancerous cells in the body. Drugs travel throughout the stomach and kill cancerous cells in the stomach and other body parts around it. Sometimes, chemotherapy is given before the surgery to make the removal of cancerous cells easy in the surgery. Or given after surgery to help remove remaining cancerous cells in the body.
Radiation therapy uses high-power energy beams like protons and X-rays to kill cancerous cells.
Just like chemotherapy, it is given before and after surgery to help remove remaining cancerous cells. For advanced stages of cancer, radiation therapy is very useful to help relieve symptoms and pain.
Targeted drug therapy is used to target weaknesses present in the cancerous cells. It specifically targets those weaker parts of cancerous cells.
To know more, Please visit the targeted drug therapy page.
Immunotherapy is used to make the immune system strong so that it can fight cancerous cells.
Please visit, the Immunotherapy page for more information.
The typical approach of doctors to treat stomach cancer
Stage 0 stomach cancer treatment in India:
Cancer is in the early stage and the doctor typically performs the surgery through a thin flexible tube (endoscope) to remove cancer from the stomach lining for very early, small-stage cancers.
Endoscopic mucosal resection, or EMR, is the term for this procedure. You usually don’t require any additional treatment.
Stage 1 stomach cancer treatment in India:
The most common treatment for stage 1 cancer is surgery. You may need surgery to remove all or part of your stomach.
If your surgeon discovers that your cancer is more advanced than they previously thought after surgery, you may need chemotherapy.
Stage 2 stomach cancer treatment in India:
Surgery is usually performed to remove all or part of your stomach. Furthermore, chemotherapy should have been conducted both before and after surgery.
If you did not have chemotherapy before surgery, you may have:
- chemotherapy after surgery
- chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy after surgery
Stage 3 stomach cancer treatment in India:
Treatment is the same as stage 2
Stage 4 stomach cancer treatment in India:
The goal of treatment is to keep cancer under control while maintaining a good quality of life. You could have:
- Chemotherapy
- Radiotherapy
- Surgery to control symptoms
- Symptom control, for example, treatment to help you swallow food
- A targeted cancer drug that has the HER2 protein
Which country is best for stomach cancer treatment?
Although the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, and India provide effective stomach cancer treatment. However, the costs vary from country to country.
The cost of treatments and surgeries in India is nearly half that of Western and other developed countries. The availability of world-class treatment at a reasonable cost has enticed many international citizens to seek treatment in India.
The Indian healthcare system has well-trained doctors as well as specialized and well-trained operative and post-operative care teams that can handle complex cases at a reasonable cost.
So, if you are looking for the best combination of outcome and cost, India could be the better bet.
How to choose the best oncologist for your stomach cancer treatment in India?
For an effective outcome and better success and survival rates, you should not count on just one doctor, but you should count on a team of doctors. This is also called the Tumour board approach.
The tumor board approach is the new way to get higher survival rates for the treatment of stomach cancer. In this approach, highly skilled medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists closely work on the case and get the best result out of the treatment.
MedicoExperts helps patients around the world to treat and get the highest survival rates with this tumor board approach to treating patients.
How to choose the best hospital for stomach cancer treatment in India?
Choose the hospital that has the latest equipment and a highly skilled team of oncologists including medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, and radio oncologists along with a well-trained paramedical staff.
The success and survival rates of the oncology team and the hospital should also be considered.
MedicoExperts Panel has the best Indian specialist on board who will make sure that you have an easy, smooth, and successful treatment experience.
The average cost of stomach cancer treatment in India is around 2823 – 6385 USD (2.10 lakh – 4.75 lakhs INR).
Price may vary as per hospitals and location. Price also depends on the stages of stomach cancer as well.
The 5-year survival rate for stomach cancer depends upon the stage of cancer.
- The survival rate of Stage 1 Stomach Cancer – 71%
- The survival rate of Stage 2 Stomach Cancer – 57%
- The survival rate of Stage 3 Stomach Cancer – 32%
- The survival rate of Stage 4 Stomach Cancer – 6%
Here are some frequently asked questions on stomach cancer.
Frequently Asked Questions and patient concerns:
Q1. Can you live without a stomach?
Ans: It might come as a shock to learn that a person can survive without a stomach. However, the body can bypass the stomach’s primary function of storing and breaking down food, allowing food to pass through to the intestines gradually.
In the absence of a stomach, small amounts of food can pass directly from the esophagus to the small intestine.
Q2. How do you know you have stomach cancer ?
Ans: Stomach cancer has very generic symptoms. These symptoms may be caused by other reasons as well and not just stomach cancer.
Symptoms may be vomiting, nausea, frequent heartburn, feeling of bloating and sudden weight loss without any reason. These are very common symptoms and may not always be stomach cancer.
But if you are at risk from factors like elderly age, high fat diet and having symptoms for a long time, it would be better to visit the doctor and go through screening to find reasons behind the symptoms.
Q3. What happens if stomach cancer is left untreated?
Ans: If left untreated, stomach cancer can spread to the lungs, lymph nodes, and bones.
Q4. How long are you in the hospital after stomach surgery?
Ans: The duration of your hospital stay will be determined by the type of stomach surgery you underwent, your age, and your overall health. You’ll probably be in the hospital for 3–10 days, but full recovery from a gastrectomy can take 3–6 months.
Q5. Can you still eat if you have your stomach removed?
Ans: Your stomach won’t be able to hold as much after surgery as it could before. Instead of three main meals a day, you’ll need to eat 6 or more small meals. Even if your stomach is smaller or gone, this will help you eat the right amount of food.
Q6. What are the early stages of stomach cancer ?
Ans: Early stages of stomach cancer often get unnoticed because of very common symptoms.
In the early stages of stomach cancer patients may feel fullness even after small meals, loss of appetite, fatigue, pain just above belly button area, indigestion, heartburn. Patients may also get blood in vomit or in stool.
Q7. Is stomach cancer curable ?
Ans: Stomach cancer is often diagnosed in later stages. This is the reason stomach cancer can’t be completely cured in many cases. But it is treatable to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
Chemotherapy, Radiotherapy or surgery is carried out to remove cancerous cells and provide relief to the patient.
Q8. What is the survival rate of stomach cancer ?
Ans: Stomach cancer mostly occurs in older people. Average age of stomach cancer is 68 years.
According to cancer.org, If stomach cancer is found and treated before it has spread outside of the stomach, its 5 year survival rate is 70%.
If cancer is spread to outside tissues and local lymph nodes, its 5 year survival rate is 32%.If cancer is spread to distant parts of the body, 5 year survival rate is 6%.
Best hospital for stomach cancer treatment in India
The top hospitals in India are equipped with cutting-edge technology and the latest innovations to provide the best cancer care. Here is a list of the best hospitals for stomach cancer in India which provide the best cancer treatment and surgery:
MedicoExperts is a Global virtual hospital which is established to offer quality healthcare services at affordable pricing without compromising the success rates of the treatment.
MedicoExperts is having a network of highly experienced super specialist doctors and well equipped hospitals across the globe and offering second opinion through online video consultation and surgical interventions through its empanelled super specialist doctors at its network hospitals in 17 countries from 3 continents.
By the virtue of its approach and model, MedicoExperts is successfully achieve to deliver
- Latest and most advanced treatments with success rates of international benchmarks.
- Multiple cost options depending upon the hospital facilities, with the same doctor.
- Treatment option in multiple cities/state/countries.
- Trust and peace of mind.
Most suitable for patients who are looking for:-
- Planned Surgeries and treatment from most experienced doctors and at multiple cost options as per hospital facilities with best possible outcomes.
- Second Opinion from expert doctors.
- Complex cases involving multi specialities
- International patients looking for treatment from Indian doctors
Anthony, 58 yrs. old after undergoing radiotherapy and hormone therapy, shares his experience of getting prostate cancer treatment in India.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Anthony Igwe, and I am 58 years old and I am from Ghana. I was diagnosed with stage 3 prostate cancer in Jan 2010. I had all the symptoms, uncontrollable frequent urination, blood in the urine, and a lot of pain and discomfort. My local doctors said I should get a surgery done to remove it, but I was not sure. I wanted to seek second opinion, someone who could help me better.
How did you know about MedicoExperts?
I stayed positive and began looking for second opinion from my local doctors, but I was still worried about getting good treatment in my own country. A relative suggested I visit the MedicoExperts Connect Centre in Ghana. When I went there with my reports, they reconfirmed what the reports suggested, but said that they could get me in touch with a doctor in India who can help me evaluate my situation better. After speaking to the Surgeon from India, I was informed that it was not necessary I undergo surgery as it could do more damage than good, getting radiotherapy along with hormone therapy was a more logical option. They recommended sessions of radiotherapy. They asked me if I was willing to travel to India for my treatment. I had heard a lot of good things about the facilities in India and their doctors, and I felt I should get my treatment done in India. The team was kind enough to help me make a choice according to my preference.
How was your experience with MedicoExperts and the Indian Surgeon?
MedicoExperts team was really empathetic and caring throughout my treatment in India. They would check up on me and help me if I needed anything in particular. The team of doctors and attendants that I had too were very understanding and proactive. They genuinely cared about my well-being which also helped me stay positive and get better. Thank you team MedicoExperts.
Mr Daniel Banda never knew much about prostate cancer before his diagnosis. Now, after radical prostatectomy in India, he is surviving the odds and also spreading awareness.
Tell us about yourself
Hi, I am Daniel Banda, 49 years old from Nigeria. I decided to get a general check-up done, which included PSA test. When my results came, the PSA levels were surprisingly high and I was asked for further evaluation which included biopsy. After my results, I was told I had localized prostate cancer and could get a surgery done. I always believed that prostate cancer was the disease of an old man before my diagnosis.
How did you know about MedicoExperts?
I found out about MedicoExperts through a Facebook ad about prostate cancer. I dropped an inquiry and they got back to me pretty quickly. I discussed with them about my symptoms and conditions, and after sharing reports, they told me I could undergo radical prostatectomy. However, I had to travel to India for getting this treatment. I was a bit worried about travelling so far for surgery. MedicoExperts team got me to consult with the surgeon directly, which helped me build trust.
How was your experience with MedicoExperts and the Indian Surgeon?
After the initial doubting phase, I was able to make my decision to travel to India. I must say the MedicoExperts team is very thorough. They urged me to ask and clear all my doubts with the uro-onclogist in India before my travel plans. I discussed all the possibilities of side-effects and how long will I take to get back to my normal routine. This helped me prepare for the surgery better and also mentally be prepared for the side-effects. My overall experience was good and I would definitely recommend MedicoExperts for any treatment.
Author Bio
Dr. Subhamoy Mukherjee is a molecular oncologist with experience working with genomic profiles. He has several years of experience in scientific writing. He takes a strong interest in making people aware of different treatment approaches in cancer, and acute and chronic diseases. He also has an interest in innovative approaches for treating different mental and physical illnesses. View all posts by Dr. Subhamoy Mukherjee
