Uterus cancer is the second most prevalent gynaecological cancer in the world. It can affect the reproductive system in women and lead to miserable pain or death. Moreover, uterus cancer treatment costs are expensive, and every country doesn't have access to the treatment. In such a situation, exploring the concept of medical tourism can be the right option. It allows the patient to find options for uterus cancer treatment abroad. Many people prefer India for the same reason. The country is equipped with high-tech technology for treatment. With superior infrastructure, expert and experienced doctors, and the use of the latest medical technologies, uterus cancer treatment cost in India is quite affordable.
What is uterus cancer?
The uterus is an organ wherein the fetus develops. Cancer cells generally divide themselves at a significant rate, thus affecting the presence of healthy cells. When this abnormal change occurs in the uterus (a major part of the female reproductive system), this medical condition is called uterus or uterine cancer. With age, the risk of uterus cancer increases in women.
What are the benefits of uterus cancer treatment?
The benefits of uterine cancer treatment depend on the treatment goals. But there are some common benefits that you can expect from it. It includes:
- Cancer removal: All the treatment options aim to destroy or remove cancerous cells from the uterus.
- Reducing cancer recurrence and growth rate: The right treatment and follow-up care can help shrink the tumour and reduce the recurrence rate.
- Relieving pain and improving quality of life: Uterine cancer leads to pain that affects a patient's physical and mental well-being. With the right treatment approach, one can get relief from the pain.
What are the eligibility criteria for uterus cancer in India?
Anyone diagnosed with uterine cancer is eligible to take treatment in India. One can get an in-depth diagnosis to understand the severity of uterine cancer. The treatment option may vary according to different aspects:
- Uterine cancer’s subtype
- Cancer stage or severity
- Potential risks, complications, and side effects
- Existing health and age
- Sexual preferences like how likely you will plan to conceive in the future
What are the different types of uterus cancer?
Primarily, uterus cancer can be divided into two types and further divided into different types. These are:
Endometrial cancer: It is the most common type of uterine cancer and affects the uterus' inner lining (endometrium). There are different types of endometrial cancer, including:
- Endometrial adenocarcinomas: It is a condition when cancerous cells in the lining grow rapidly and become uncontrollable.
- Serous adenocarcinoma: It is a stage where cancer cells spread to different parts of the body, including the lymph nodes.
- Adenosquamous carcinoma: It has a severity similar to 2 different cancer types, i.e., endometrial adenocarcinoma and carcinoma (squamous cells of the outer layer).
- Uterine carcinosarcoma: It has the symptoms of both endometrial cancer and sarcoma. Hence, it has a high risk of spreading to other parts.
- Primary pure squamous cell carcinoma (endometrium): It is a rare malignancy in squamous cells, with only 70 cases worldwide.
Uterine sarcoma: It is a uterus cancer associated with the muscle wall. Its different types are:
- Uterine leiomyosarcoma: It develops in the myometrium (the muscle wall present in the uterus).
- Endometrial stromal sarcoma: It begins in the connective tissues associated with the endometrium.
- Undifferentiated sarcoma: It is similar to endometrial stromal sarcoma but has a higher growth rate.
How to prepare for uterus cancer surgery?
The treatment option depends on the cancer stage and the patient's health. But surgery is generally an excellent option for uterine cancer treatment. Before surgery, you must make some preparations to ensure everything proceeds well. It includes:
Before surgery
Assessment with the oncologist: You should visit your surgeon for the assessment. It will help you better understand the procedure and mentally prepare you for surgery. It would be helpful to answer various questions about your health and family that may be helpful to the surgical process and recovery. The nursing team may collect information about your general health, including temperature, weight, blood pressure, etc.
Learn some exercises: During surgery, you may need to learn breathing and leg exercises. Breathing exercises can reduce the risk of lung infection, which is common after surgery. Leg exercises reduce blood clot formation chances. You should perform these exercises before and after surgery.
Get diagnostic tests: It is essential to check if the patient is fit for the surgery. Hence, your doctor may recommend various diagnostic tests, including:
- Blood tests for kidney and liver functionalities
- ECG and echocardiogram for heart performance
- Breathing tests and chest X-rays to check lung health
- Cardiopulmonary exercise test to check the lungs and heart's workings
A night before surgery
- Your body needs enough energy to tolerate surgery. Hence, it will be helpful if you drink carbohydrate-rich drinks at night. Moreover, asking your surgeon whether you need to fast would be most beneficial.
On the day of surgery
- Pack the essentials: You should pack all the essentials, like nightwear, undergarments, slippers, a towel, cash, headphones, medical reports, medicines, chargers, etc. You can ask about surgery and hospital stay duration to understand the essentials better.
- Inform your friends and family: You should inform your friends/family and bring them along. After the surgery, they can be your emotional support system and help you manage much of the paperwork.
What is the surgical procedure for uterus cancer treatment?
The selection of surgical procedures for uterine cancer treatment depends on the patient's situation. There are different surgical approaches.
- Hysterectomy: It is the procedure of removing the affected part and nearby tissues from the body by making a slit in the abdomen, through laparoscopy, or with robotic assistance. Depending on the severity, organs are removed. For instance, in a simple hysterectomy, the surgeon removes the uterus and cervix (the narrow end connecting the uterus and vagina). In contrast, a radical hysterectomy refers to removing the uterus and cervix along with some portion of the upper vagina and nearby area.
- Lymph node removal: In this procedure, the surgeon may perform a sentinel lymph node biopsy by injecting a dye to determine if the lymph nodes contain cancerous cells. Afterwards, the lymph nodes are removed.
What are the post-treatment care and follow-up plans for uterus cancer treatment?
The doctor suggests a post-treatment care plan to speed up recovery and reduce post-treatment complications and cancer recurrences. It includes various diagnostic tests like X-rays and blood tests. Follow-up care includes:
- Subduing side-effects: The prime objective of follow-up sessions is to help the patient relieve side-effects of treatment like pain in the pelvic area, sudden change of appetite or weight, vaginal bleeding, cough, etc. These side effects can affect the quality of life and even indicate cancer recurrence.
- A rehabilitation plan for a speedy recovery: Your doctor may suggest you undergo different therapies like physical therapy, nutritional planning, emotional counselling, etc. These therapies will improve your physical and mental well-being, which can further help you to recover more quickly.
- Analyse your health periodically: You must visit your doctor periodically and undergo diagnostic tests to understand your health condition. Follow-up sessions are suggested to determine recurrence risk and take timely action to avoid further complications. In addition, it gives a clear understanding of the patient's condition. It helps the patient reduce anxiety and live each moment smiling.
What are the potential risks and complications after uterus cancer treatment?
The risks and complications after uterine cancer treatment depend on factors like health conditions and treatment approaches. Each treatment approach may have its side effects.
- Surgery: Surgery can lead to extreme pain and fatigue. Medication usually relieves it, but one must strictly follow the prescription. Other side effects include the temporary inability to consume solid foods, difficulty with bladder or bowel movements, nausea, and vomiting. If the ovaries are removed, it can lead to early menopause. After removing lymph nodes, the patient can experience leg inflammation. Moreover, the patient can't conceive in the future.
- Radiation therapy: This treatment uses high-intensity electromagnetic radiation on the pelvic area and/or vaginal cavity to treat the condition. It can also lead to side effects like tiredness, skin allergies, and changes in bladder or bowel movements.
- Chemotherapy: It uses medications to destroy cancerous cells and affects the entire body. It can result in side effects like appetite loss, diarrhoea, tiredness, infection, intense hair loss, infertility, kidney problems, hearing problems, nausea, and vomiting.
- Hormone therapy: In this treatment process, the doctor prescribes a high dosage of hormones (like progesterone) as medication. It can lead to various side effects like fluid buildup, insomnia, muscular aches, and a sudden increase in appetite or weight.
- Targeted therapy: As the name suggests, this treatment approach targets specific genes responsible for cancer growth. But sometimes, it can also affect healthy cells and lead to side effects that differ from the therapy. Consult your doctor about it.
- Immunotherapy: The objective of this treatment process is to improve immunity and defeat cancer cells. But sometimes, it accidentally attacks healthy cells, leading to problems like high blood pressure, fatigue, constipation, diarrhoea, flu, and weight change.
What is the cost of uterus cancer treatment in India?
The cost of uterine cancer treatment cost in India depends on the treatment approach, the complexity of the case, and the hospital's location. The average treatment cost in a city like Delhi varies from INR 4 Lakh INR to 7 Lakh. The exact cost can differ, and thus you should contact the hospital or Adotrip for help or information.
What is the outcome and success rate of uterus cancer treatment?
The success rate of uterine cancer treatment depends on the severity of the case. According to the data recorded from 2013 to 2017 of uterine cancer survivors in England, the 5-year survival rate was:
- Stage 1: More than 90%
- Stage 2: Around 75%
- Stage 3: Around 50%
- Stage 4: About 15%
How to live with uterus cancer treatment?
After uterus cancer treatment, one needs to keep a few things in mind to ensure speedy recovery and prevention from recurrence. It includes:
- Don't skip anything from the follow-up care plan: Your doctor will create a follow-up plan with sessions for a couple of years as soon as the treatment is complete. During these visits, your doctor will analyse your health condition, provide consultation to suppress side effects and look for the risk of recurrence. It would be best to discuss all the changes and side effects you are experiencing during that duration. You will need to undergo various examination tests for the same.
- Add physical activities to your schedule: Exercising can improve mobility and quality of life. Thus, the patient should exercise every day.
- Switch to healthy habits: Alcohol, tobacco, and junk food consumption can contribute to various adverse effects on health. You should avoid these things to improve your overall well-being and reduce the risk of recurrence.
- Consume prescribed dietary supplements: You can ask for supplements to help fulfil your nutritional requirements. But you should follow the dosage as per your doctor's advice.
What are the alternatives to uterus cancer treatments?
Complementary and alternative medicine approaches don't have a scientific backup for the cure. It is not globally accepted to cure cancer. But such treatment options can help alleviate symptoms and the treatment's side effects. These include:
- Acupuncture: A treatment option that helps reduce side effects like nausea, numbness, and fatigue
- Dietary supplements: Include supplements that can help eliminate deficiencies for a speedy recovery.
- Yoga, tai chi, and relaxation exercises: These therapies can help relax the mind and body. Hence, the patient can experience relief from anxiety and depression, which are common side effects of cancer treatment.
Conclusion
Uterus cancer can affect women’s physical health and fertility. But you can get the best treatment within your budget with various uterus cancer treatment abroad options. Choosing India for the treatment can be wise, as you can expect world-class technology, expert professionals, and cost-effective treatment.
Adrotrip can help make all the arrangements for uterus cancer treatment in India. You need to share your details, and they will handle the rest. With them, you get the following additional perks:
- Get the chance to connect with a vast network of hospitals.
- All arrangements for medical travel are made with a click.
- Most price-competitive deals on everything, including airfare, medical visa, treatment, and stay.
FAQs about uterus cancer treatment in India
Ques 1. How much does uterus cancer treatment cost?
Ans. There are multiple factors affecting the exact cost of the treatment. It includes the hospital's location, the stage of cancer, the experience of the surgeon, etc. The average treatment cost in Indian tier 1 cities like Delhi can range from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 7 lakh. But it is better to contact Adotrip for the same treatment cost brackets.
Ques 2. Does insurance cover uterus cancer treatment costs?
Ans. Many health and cancer insurance plans cover uterine cancer treatment costs. But their extent depends on the terms and conditions. Moreover, a few life insurance plans over optimal cancer treatment coverage. Hence, you need to check your policy documents for further clarity.
Ques 3. What are the costs associated with different types of uterus cancer treatment?
Ans. Treatment costs depend on the severity and treatment approach. Furthermore, the location of the hospital can influence treatment costs. So consult your surgeon or Adotrip for a better understanding.
Ques 4. Are there any alternative treatment options for uterus cancer that may be more cost-effective?
Ans. Alternative treatment options effectively reduce the side effects of standard treatment and empower patients' quality of life. There are no proven results on their efficacy in curing cancer. Hence, you should consult your oncologist to understand if such treatment options will be effective for you or not.
Ques 5. How can I plan and manage the financial burden of uterus cancer treatment?
Ans. Uterine cancer treatment may seem a little expensive. You must carefully plan your finances to ensure that you can focus on treatment and not on the financial crisis. There are multiple options for managing finances, including
- Check the insurance coverage.
- Explore medical loan options.
- Seek help from NGOs working for cancer patients.
- Look for cost-effective treatment options.
- Get counselling from an expert.
While managing your finances, don't compromise on treatment. Focusing on the quality of healthcare services for a quick recovery is better.
Ques 6. Can a medical loan or crowdfunding cover uterus cancer treatment costs?
Ans. Medical loans and crowdfunding can be good ways to arrange finances for treatment. But there are many terms attached to such options. You should thoroughly read them before choosing any such option.
Ques 7. What are the different types of uterus cancer treatments available?
Ans. There are many standard treatment options:
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Therapies with medication
- Immunotherapy
- Hormone therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Targeted therapy
