Top 10 Advanced Cancer Treatment Options in India: 2026 Guide
Cancer treatment in India has really changed a lot in the five years. Its changed more in these five years than it did in the twenty years before that. Now patients do not need to travel to the US or Singapore to get the care.
India now offers cancer treatments that are as good as anywhere else in the world. These treatments are often much cheaper. This is thanks to innovation help from the government and more cancer centers.
This guide will tell you about the ten advanced cancer treatments in India. These are the treatments patients and caregivers should know about. We will explain how they work, who they are best for and where to get them.
Why India Has Become A Hub for Advance Cancer Care
Cancer treatment was pretty simple in the past. Doctors would usually do one of three things: remove the cancer use radiation to kill it or use chemotherapy to stop it from growing. Now doctors who treat cancer in India do things very differently. They use something called precision oncology. This means they treat the part of the cancer that is making it grow rather than just treating the part of the body where the cancer started. This new way of doing things along with discoveries, like India’s own CAR-T therapy platform has made India a great place to go for cancer treatment. People do not just go to India for cancer treatment because it is affordable but because it is very good.
Here are the 10 cancer treatment options that are making this happen.
1. CART-T Cell Therapy (NexCAR19)
CAR-T cell therapy is a breakthrough in treating blood cancer. It has changed the game in the ten years.
Doctors take out a patients T-cells which're a type of immune cell. They then change these cells in a lab so they can find cancer cells.
These changed cells are put back into the patient’s body. They then. Destroy cancer cells, like leukemia or lymphoma.
India now has its CAR-T therapy. It was made in India. Costs much less than similar therapies, in the US or Europe.
This therapy works best for:
Acute leukemia also called ALL
You can get this therapy at transplant centers in:
Cancer treatment is really tough on the body. That is because chemotherapy does not just attack cancer cells it also affects cells. Targeted therapy is different. It uses drugs that go after specific molecules or genetic mutations that make cancer cells grow. This way the treatment is more effective. It does not have as many bad side effects.
When doctors want to use targeted therapy they first do some tests to figure out what is making the cancer cells grow in the place. Then they give the patient a drug that is designed to fight that thing. This is a big part of what is called precision oncology.
Targeted therapy is really good for people with lung cancer, breast cancer that is HER2-positive and some types of cancer.
You can get targeted therapy, at cancer hospitals in cities.
3. Immunotherapy and Checkpoint Inhibitors
Immunotherapy is a way to help our body fight cancer. It does this by taking the things that stop our immune system from working properly. When this happens, our body can see the cancer cells. Attack them. Some medicines that help with this are called checkpoint inhibitors. These medicines have worked well for many people with different types of cancer even for people who are very sick and other treatments have not worked.
Now some new immunotherapy medicines that are used in countries are also available in India. This means that people in India can get the treatments that people in other countries can get. Our doctors in India are getting access to these medicines so we do not have to go to another country to get them.
These treatments are really good for people with melanoma, lung cancer, kidney cancer and some types of lymphomas. If you need to get this treatment you can go to some of the cancer hospitals, in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore.
Robotic assisted surgery is really good for surgeons because it helps them be more precise. They can make cuts and the patient gets better faster compared to the old way of doing surgery.
For people who have cancer in places that're hard to reach. Like the prostate or the throat or some parts of the digestive tract. They let the doctors remove the tumor accurately and they can save the healthy tissue around it. Patients usually lose blood and they do not have to stay in the hospital for a long time. They can also go back to their routine quickly.
Robotic assisted surgery is best for people who have prostate cancer or gynecological cancer or head and neck cancer or gastrointestinal cancers. You can get assisted surgery at most big hospitals, in major cities that have the NABH accreditation and are super specialty hospitals.
Proton beam therapy is a type of radiation treatment. It delivers radiation accurately. It stops at the tumor. It does not damage the tissue around it. This is a problem with regular radiation treatment.
It is very useful for tumors near parts of the body. These include the brain and spine. It is also good for children. We want to avoid hurting parts of their body.
Proton beam therapy is best for:
You can get proton therapy at a few special centers in India. More centers are being. Will be ready, by 2026.
6. CyberKnife and Stereotactic Radiosurgery
The CyberKnife system is a machine that helps doctors treat tumours without cutting into the body. It sends strong and focused beams of radiation right to the tumour. This machine is very good at getting the radiation where it needs to go so it does not hurt the surrounding areas.
The CyberKnife system is especially good for tumours that're in very sensitive areas like the brain or the lungs. Normally surgery in these areas can be very risky.
People usually have to go for treatment a few times. That is, it. This makes the CyberKnife system a good option for people who cannot have surgery.
The CyberKnife system is best for people with tumours in the brain people with lung cancer that's still in the early stages and people with tumours in the spine.
You can get treated with the CyberKnife system at cancer treatment centres, in Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore.
7. Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant (Including Haploidentical Transplant)
Bone marrow transplants are still a treatment for many blood cancers. Recently there’s been a change with the increase of haploidentical transplants. This is where a family member who is not a match can be a donor. It used to be that a matched donor who was not a relative was needed but that was hard to find.
This has made it possible for more patients to get transplants. Before some patients couldn't find a matching donor through registries.
Haploidentical transplants work best for:
You can get a bone marrow transplant at major centres in:
These centres do over 100 transplants a year including haploidentical procedures. They are good, at doing bone marrow transplants, including transplants.
Theragnostic is an approach that combines therapy and diagnostics. It uses a compound to find cancer cells in the body and give them targeted radiation treatment. This approach is a step forward for cancers that are hard to treat with surgery or standard radiation.
That's because these cancers have spread to parts of the body. Theranostics works well for tumours and some prostate cancers. You can get Theranostics at nuclear medicine and oncology departments, in some major hospitals.
9. Liquid Biopsy and Genomic Profiling (NGS Testing)
Liquid biopsy is a blood test that can find cancer-related genetic material in the blood. Sometimes before symptoms show up. This test also helps see how well a treatment is working now without needing to take tissue samples again and again. Generation sequencing testing takes it a step further. It maps the genetic profile of a tumour. This helps find out which targeted therapies or immunotherapies will work best for that patient.
Best for: Anyone with cancer who is thinking about targeted therapy or immunotherapy. It is also good for checking if treatment is working and finding relapse
Where to access: You can get this test done through labs that work with major cancer hospitals, in India.
10. Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs)
Antibody-drug conjugates are sometimes called " bombs" for cancer treatment. They are made by combining an antibody that finds cancer cells with a chemotherapy medicine. This medicine is attached to the antibody. The antibody then delivers the medicine directly to the tumour.
This helps to kill cancer cells while keeping cells safe. As a result, it can kill cancer effectively and cause fewer side effects compared to traditional chemotherapy.
Certain aggressive breast cancers that are hard to treat
You can find these treatments at major cancer centres. More and more of these drugs are becoming available in India as they get approved by regulators.
How Much Do These Advanced Treatments Cost in India?
The cost of cancer treatment can be really different depending on the hospital you go to what stage the cancer is at and the treatment plan they have for you. Here is a general idea of what you might have to pay:
Robotic surgery: the cost can be anywhere from ₹2.8 lakh to ₹10.5 lakh
Chemotherapy: each session can cost between ₹18,000 and ₹75,000
Radiation therapy: including the techniques can cost between ₹1.5 lakh and ₹8 lakh.
Immunotherapy: this can cost between ₹4.5 lakh and ₹6 lakh per month and you usually have to do it for one to two years.
Bone marrow transplant: the cost can be anywhere from ₹15 lakh to ₹48 lakh
CAR-T therapy: that is made in our country: this is a lot cheaper, than what you would pay in countries but it is still very expensive for most families
You should always ask the hospital to give you a personalized estimate of the cost because these numbers are just a general idea and can vary depending on the hospital and how complicated your case is.
How to Access These Treatments: Government Support Options
Cancer care does not have to be very expensive. There are ways to help Indian cancer patients. Several support systems exist for cancer patients.
Ayushman Bharat PMJAY: This helps Indian cancer patients get money for cancer treatment. Indian cancer patients can get up to ₹5 lakh every year for cancer treatment at hospitals.
Health Ministers Cancer Patient Fund: This fund helps poor Indian cancer patients get money for cancer treatment at certain cancer hospitals.
Trials: Many big Indian cancer hospitals do trials for new cancer treatments like CAR-T therapy and immunotherapy. Indian cancer patients can get these treatments for free or at a lower cost.
Medical crowdfunding platforms: Many Indian families use these platforms to get money for cancer treatments like BMT and CAR-T therapy.
Indian cancer patients should talk to their doctor about money help and clinical trials when they are planning, for cancer treatment. Indian cancer patients should ask their doctor about this at the beginning of their cancer treatment.
Choosing the Right Treatment: What Patients Should Ask Their Oncologist
With many options available now choosing the one really depends on what kind of cancer you have how far along it is, your overall health and what’s in your tumour’s genetic makeup. Before you decide on a treatment plan you should ask some questions.
Has my tumour been tested for its makeup using NGS testing?
Am I a fit for targeted therapy or immunotherapy instead of regular chemotherapy?
Is there a trial that I can join for my type of cancer?
What kinds of help can I get?
Does this hospital have experience, with the advanced treatment they are suggesting for me?
The way India takes care of cancer patients is really different now than it was five years ago. Now we have things like precision oncology and special therapy called CAR-T that people in India can get. Also, more people can get their genes tested. This means cancer patients have options that do not hurt as much and are not as expensive as they used to be. If you or someone you care about has cancer, the first thing you should do is talk to a cancer doctor about getting your genes tested. You should also ask if you can get these kinds of treatment. In India, where you live should not stop you from getting the cancer care in the world. Cancer patients in India can get the kind of care that people, in other countries get.
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