Best Oncologists in India for Immunotherapy
Best Immunotherapy Hospitals in India
- City: Bengaluru, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Fortis Hospital Bannerghatta, Bengaluru was established in 2006.
- The hospital is a 276 bedded multi-specialty tertiary care facility.
- The hospital specializes in cutting-edge medical technology and dedicated patient care services.
- The hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies like trans-radial angioplasty, trans-abdominal cardiac surgery, and computerized TKR navigation surgery.
- The hospital provides specialty medical services in cardiology, cardiac surgery, orthopedics, neurology, neuro-surgery, GI, and Minimal Access Surgery (MAS).
- City: Chennai, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Fortis Malar was established in 1992 and was formerly known as Malar Hospital.
- The hospital specializes in cutting-edge medical technology and dedicated patient care services.
- The hospital is multi-specialty, tertiary care facility with 180 beds.
- The hospital offers comprehensive medical care in specialties such as cardiology, cardio-thoracic surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, nephrology, gynecology, gastroenterology, urology, pediatrics, and diabetes.
- City: New Delhi, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Established in 1996, Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute is one of the top hospitals in the NCR region, as well as one of the top facilities in India for gastroenterology. The hospital is one of South Asia’s first institutes in medical and surgical treatment for diseases related to digestion.
- The hospital is equipped with state-of-the art facilities coupled with the latest equipment as well as renowned consultants from various parts of India as well as other parts of the world.
- City: New Delhi, India
Hospital Highlights:
- State-of-the-art technology and devoted healthcare professionals have been brought together under one roof at Venkateshwar Hospital to provide genuine medical care. The hospital’s professionals work together as a team to deliver the best possible treatment to their patients, using the most sophisticated equipment and information technology.
- Venkateshwar Hospital’s mission is to attain global excellence in healthcare by employing evidence-based, ethical clinical practices and cutting-edge technology by a team of highly skilled experts.
- City: New Delhi, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi is known to provide the latest medical procedures with the latest technology in all of its units.
- The hospital has a team of reputed doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals that ensure that patients receive quality care at affordable costs.
- Staffed with a team of highly qualified doctors, dedicated nurses, and paramedical and non-medical staff, the hospital aims to lead in healthcare delivery, medical education, training, and research.
- As per the vision of the founder, the hospital also provides free treatment to the economically weaker sections of society.
- Sir Ganga Ram Hospital also provides training to young doctors under the Diplomate in National Board(DNB) program. The DNB program at the hospital was started in 1984 and it is known for currently running the maximum number of DNB specialties in the country. It also has the distinction of having the first bone bank in India.
- City: Kerala, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Established in 2019, Apollo Adlux Hospital is the first Apollo Hospital in Kerala and the 73rd hospital owned by Apollo Group in India. With the state’s most advanced, comprehensive healthcare infrastructure and cutting-edge technologies, Apollo Adlux Hospital stands as an example of medical excellence in Kerala.
- With over 34 multi-specialty departments, the hospital believes in providing the best quality treatment to its patients at affordable rates, ensuring comfort at their difficult times.
- The 300-bed hospital is managed by a team of highly qualified and experienced experts who delivers exceptional hospitality to their patients and treats them with great compassion.
- With its affiliation with the Apollo Hospitals Group, the hospital aims in providing patients with top-notch healthcare services while also serving communities in Kerala.
- The hospital has good railway and road connections, and is conveniently close to Cochin International Airport.
- City: Gurugram, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Situated near DLF Cyber City, Gurugram, Narayana Superspecialty Hospital is one of the top medical facilities in the Delhi NCR region, catering to the needs of the people. Known for its commitment to quality medical care and patient service, the hospital is a state-of-the-art facility with planned and well-equipped sections, which includes a spacious OPD area as well as comfortable patient rooms.
- It is the closest super-specialty hospital from Indira Gandhi International Airport towards Gurugram, and also the nearest super specialty hospital from DLF Cyber City. It is also close to major residential areas in Gurugram.
- It is part of the renowned Narayana Health Group. Established in 2000, by Dr. Devi Shetty, a renowned cardiac surgeon, it has grown to be one fo India’s leading healthcare groups.
- City: Noida, India
Hospital Highlights:
- Fortis Hospital, Noida, stands as one of the oldest and most trusted healthcare institutions in the region, setting a benchmark for comprehensive medical care.
- As the second mega hub hospital in the Fortis Healthcare Group, Fortis Hospital, Noida, upholds a legacy of trust among more than 1.2 million patients. By integrating top-tier professionals with cutting-edge technology, the hospital delivers superior treatment across various medical disciplines.
- Specializing in advanced Neurosciences, Orthopedics, Kidney and Liver Transplant Programmes, Fortis Hospital, Noida has successfully performed over 1,500 transplants, solidifying its reputation as a leader in specialized medical interventions.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a treatment for cancer where the treatment aims to stimulate and boost the body’s natural defense system, a.k.a our immune system to help prevent metastasis (spread of cancer) if not cancer completely.
Our body has a natural power of healing, thanks to the WBCs and antibodies that recognize foreign substances in our system and fight them off. These bits form a part of our body’s immune system and are structured to help us fight diseases. Immunotherapy uses this very concept where it recognizes our body’s natural immunity as a powerful weapon to fight off the abnormal cell function within the body, thereby aiming to prevent cancer cell growth.
Benefits of Immunotherapy
The 3 primary benefits of Immunotherapy
While used in combination with other / alternative cancer treatment and therapy methods- Immunotherapy as a standalone therapy can help your body in 3 key ways:
- Stimulates the Immune System to boost their attack intensity
- Helps the body with additional components to help them fight off better
- Educates the Immune System so that it can recognize or diagnose specific cells that are cancerous or abnormal in nature.
Types of Immunotherapy
There are primarily 4 distinct immunotherapy types that doctors recommend. Based on your diagnosis, your healthcare professional will determine which type is more suitable for you. These are as follows:
1. Monoclonal Antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies are much like the antibodies that your body produces to fight off abnormalities, except, these antibodies are often created in a lab and infused with your body’s antibody to help them fight off cancer in various ways. Also popularly known as targeted therapy, this type of therapy can even be used to prevent your natural antibodies from harming healthy cells.
2. Oncolytic Virus therapy
This therapy uses external viruses modified in a lab to help destroy the existing cancer cells in your body. Once the virus is injected into your system, these genetically-enhanced viruses infiltrate the cancer cells and copies them, causing the cancer cells to burst and die. The dying cells in turn releases certain proteins which alerts our immune system and helps us fight off the remaining cancer cells in a better way.
3. T-cell therapy
In this procedure, the doctor will extract the T cells from your blood and modify it in a lab by adding certain proteins to it. These modified T cells will now be able to diagnose or recognize the cancer cells. Once put back in the body, the enhanced T cells seek out and destroy the cancer cells.
4. Cancer vaccines
Cancer cells when introduced in your body exposes your immune system to antigens, a foreign substance. Your immune system gets triggered on encountering the antigens and boosts the immunity level which in turn helps your body naturally fight off the cancer cells.
What type of cancer does Immunotherapy target?
Each type of immunotherapy focuses on a particular part of your body, depending on where the origin of the cancer is. For instance,
Monoclonal antibodies are usually used for:
- Brain or lung cancer
- Breast or ovarian cancer
- Stomach or prostate cancer
- Hodgkin’s lymphoma or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
T-Cell therapy usually focuses on:
- B-cell lymphomas
- Acute leukemia
Vaccine therapy is often used for:
- HPV
- Different types of prostate cancer
- Hepatitis B
Why Opt for Immunotherapy?
Now, there are multiple (more common) treatment methods for cancer out there, so you must be wondering- why Immunotherapy? Is it safe? Is it effective? Will it improve your cancer-cure chances? Let us answer that for you.
To begin with, Immunotherapy is a certified treatment method approved in the US amongst other countries. These approvals are backed by years of proficient research, development, and success which is why this is completely a safe procedure, much like any other cancer treatment alternatives.
Now that being said, Immunotherapy is still not a standalone treatment method, and may or may not impact the patient’s cancer growth based on the intensity of the condition or the type of immunotherapy used. Nevertheless, this therapy has actually helped countless patients extend their lives and is constantly being developed further as we speak.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Immunotherapy
Much like any other cancer cure, Immunotherapy too comes with its pros and cons. We have listed some of them to help you understand this therapy better.
Immunotherapy Advantages
- Since this therapy aims to stregthen your immune system, side effects from cancer or from alternate therapies for cancer will be less intense.
- Once your immune system gets a permanent boost from this therapy, cancerous conditions are less likely to come back. In fact, immunotherapy can effectively slow down rapid cancer growth in the body while the other treatment methods focus on eliminating the existing cancer cells.
- Immunotherapy can be effective if all the other treatment methods have failed.
- Since cancer treatments often include a medley of therapies, Immunotherapy can act as a great support system for other therapies and can actually help them work better.
Immunotherapy Disadvantages
- The first thing we need to keep in mind is that Immunotherapy is not for everyone. It may or may not impact your body.
- Much like any other cancer treatment method, immunotherapy too comes with side effects of its own which can be in the form of fever, chills, extreme tiredness, unexplained weight gain.
- Immunotherapy can also leave a bad reaction on your skin. It has been noticed that the immunotherapy spot often experiences redness, itchiness, and other allergy-like symptoms
- Alongside the cancerous tumors or cells, this therapy can affect the healthier organs in your body too.
While chemo and radiation therapy are relatively faster, immunotherapy is not. This therapy takes time boosting your immunity gradually which means if you’re looking for a quick fix, this therapy may not be for you.
Immunotherapy Quick Points
- Make sure you give a thorough medical history report to your doctors before the procedure with elaborate details on past or current conditions, past or current medications, lifestyle choices like alcohol and tobacco smoking etc.
- Since immunotherapy is a long-running treatment method, you may need to take significant time off before you can return to your everyday life. We recommend having a caregiver nearby for your personal day-to-day help.
- If the side-effects such as tiredness, fever, and chills start increasing after the therapy and refuses to go away- Do Not wait! Contact your doctor immediately .
FAQs
1. What is the success rate of Immunotherapy?
According to a recent study, the success rate has been determined as 15% depending on the cancer type or stage. Records also show 25% of the times, this therapy has added at least 5 years for cancer patients.
2. Will Immunotherapy affect my hair or weight like Chemo does?
There are no proven records that stated hair loss for immunotherapy. However, this therapy can make you gain weight.
3. Is there any way to know if the Immunotherapy is working positively or not?
You will be prescribed periodical checkups and blood tests by cancer specialists which will help them determine whether the therapy is positively impacting your cancer cure or not.
4. Will the side effects show up immediately after immunotherapy?
No, 40-60% of the times, the side effects took about 2-3 months to show up