What is the Cost of Breast Cancer Chemotherapy?
Affordable Breast Cancer Chemotherapy Options – Complete Price Guide
Chemotherapy is the most common and effective treatment for breast cancer. This therapy utilises and circulates cytotoxic drugs, which are anti-cancer medications, throughout the bloodstream to target and kill cancer cells. Costs of breast cancer treatment depend on the severity of breast cancer, hospitalisation, patients’ age and physical health condition, etc. Moreover, oncologist fees, additional precautions, and diagnostic tests are included in the treatment cost.
Understanding Breast Cancer Symptoms
Breast cancer cases are growing massively in women. It is an uncontrolled division and growth of cells in the mammary glands of the body. Mostly, 80% of cases of breast cancer are invasive, which means cancer cells spread throughout the body from the breast. Risk factors of breast cancer are early menarche, obesity, late menopause, smoking, alcohol consumption, and hormonal issues. Potential breast cancer symptoms include:
- Thickening or a lump in the underarm or breast.
- Changes in the breast shape, size or appearance.
- Persistent discomfort or pain in the breast.
- Nipple discharge.
- Redness, dimpling and irritation in the breast area.
- Swelling in the breast.
Cost of Breast Cancer Chemotherapy in India
Chemotherapy costs between Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 80,000 per cycle of treating breast cancer cells' DNA. The average cost of chemotherapy sessions is Rs. 2.5 lakhs to Rs. 50 lakhs in general, depending on the number of therapy sessions and the stage of cancer. The overall cost of chemotherapy packages in India is listed below.
Chemotherapy Package | Cost in India (INR) |
Pre-Chemotherapy test | Rs. 15,000 - Rs. 40000 |
Chemotherapy Cost for Breast Cancer | Rs. 1,60,000 - Rs. 27,50,000 |
Oral Chemotherapy Cost | Rs. 1,00,000 - Rs. 25,00,000 |
Drugs | Rs. 10,000 - Rs. 1,00,000 |
Chemotherapy Injection | Rs. 18,000 - Rs. 25,000 |
Follow-up Tests | Rs. 4,000 - Rs. 5,000 |
Patient Day Care | Rs. 3,000 |
Investigation of Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Cost of Diagnosis
Diagnosis is essential to determine the types and stages of breast cancer before and during chemotherapy. Several diagnostic test costs are listed below in the table, along with the purpose of these tests.
Diagnosis Examinations | Cost of Test (INR) | Purpose of Test |
Mammography | Rs. 1,500 - Rs. 4,000 | Helps to identify abnormalities in breast tissues. |
FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration Sonography) | Rs. 1,500 - Rs. 4,000 | Detect cancer cells and implant tissue samples for it. |
Ultrasound | Rs. 1,000 - Rs. 3,000 | Especially for younger women, it evaluates lumps. |
Core Needle Biopsy | Rs. 3,000 - Rs. 7,000 | It confirms the presence and types. |
PET CT Scan | Rs. 15,000 - Rs. 35,000 | Allows for analysis of tumour cell growth with detailed imaging. |
MRI Breast | Rs. 6,000 - Rs. 15,000 | Helps detect the growth of cancer in other organs, such as the lungs, from the breast. |
Benefits of Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer Patients
The main benefits of chemotherapy are:
- Potentially kills cancer cells and shrinks cancer.
- Respond to early treatment of tumour cells.
- Reduce the risk of recurrence of breast cancer cells.
- Chemotherapy helps breast cancer patients alleviate cancer symptoms.
- Slow down the growth or spread of breast cancer cells to other parts of the body.
- Help patients achieve a longer lifespan through the improvement of their quality of life.
Complications of Chemotherapy
Common side effects of chemotherapy for breast cancer patients are:
- Appetite loss
- Losing weight
- Excessive hair loss
- Bruising and bleeding easily
- Feeling sick and tired
- Diarrhea
The average breast cancer chemotherapy costs vary based on cancer type, size, hospital cost, medicines, and required chemotherapy cycles or sessions. Chemotherapy increases the curability of breast cancer and improves the quality of life for breast cancer patients by reducing the risk of recurrence and destroying cancer cells.
Also Read:
→ What is the Cost of a Cancer Biopsy Test
→ What is the Cost of a PET Scan for Cancer
→ What is the Cost of the Uterus Cancer Vaccine
→ What is the Cost of an NGS Test for Cancer
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