4 Cancer hospitals offering most affordable chemotherapy price in Bangalore

Chemotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that is recommended by oncologists to almost all cancer patients at some stage for all types of cancer. Chemotherapy is given to patients in cycles. A single cycle can last for a few hours to multiple days. Each cycle of chemotherapy is a few weeks apart, usually once in 3 weeks.

The drugs used in chemotherapy generally includes:

• Chemotherapy pills - These are pills prescribed by your doctor in the form of capsules.
• Intravenous - Chemotherapy is given through a tube inserted into a vein in your arm.
• Injection - Chemotherapy is given like a normal injection.

Chemotherapy does not hurt. The gap between two chemotherapy sessions depends on the type of medicine and number of cycles.

Chemotherapy costs in Bangalore starts at Rs 15,000. It’s dependent on the drug charges and the centre where the chemotherapy is being taken.

Both these factors can be controlled by choosing the right centre for taking chemotherapy.

The total price of chemotherapy depends on following factors:

1. Type and stage of the cancer:

Depending on the type and stage of your cancer, your oncologist selects the number and type of chemotherapy sessions, this impacts your total price of chemotherapy directly.

For example if your cancer type requires administration of a patented drug, then the charges will go up for your treatment.

2. Hospital or Centre:

The hospital you get admitted and the oncologist you get cancer treatment from, affects the cost of chemotherapy too. 50% of your chemotherapy charges are purely administrative charges, hence negotiable.

3. Drug Charges:

The rest of the 50% of your chemotherapy cost majorly constitutes of the drug charges. Large hospitals charge drugs at MRP, whereas smaller centres pass-on upto 20% of discount on drugs to the patient, making the treatment affordable for you.

But should you opt for any small centre to avail of the drug discount?

How do you decide which cancer hospital to opt for chemotherapy ?

As we discussed, comprehensive cancer centres bill medicines and drugs at MRP, so the cost of chemo remains high.

On the other hand, the smaller hospitals, such as the cancer day care centres are more affordable.

Two ways in which some centres may save on treatment costs:

• Compromise on drug quality : Drug quality impacts the speed and the way you fight cancer. Some centres give you cheaper quality options by giving you drugs with the same ingredients as suggested by your oncologist. But these cheaper drugs may not have the same impact as the originally prescribed brand of drugs.
• Reduce number of cycles : Total chemotherapy cost is also a result of the number of cycles. Some centres suggest reduction of cycles to control cost. Chemo drugs just like antibiotics fail to give the desired result when the cycles are completed.

So, how do you really decide which smaller center to opt for?

We have already done that job. We have worked with cancer specialists and gathered feedback from cancer patients who have availed chemotherapy in most centres across Bangalore.

These are DCode Care centres located in:

Nagarbhavi

Malleswaram

JP Nagar

Kalyan Nagar

Call or WhatsApp us at +91 9741259596 and we will put you in touch with your nearest DCode Care centre to avail high-quality chemotherapy treatment at the most affordable prices.

These centres also have highly experienced medical oncologists to take care of your chemotherapy treatment with minimal side effects. They work closely with other cancer care specialists and staff to ease out your chemotherapy session.

Some of the well-known oncologists available at these centres are:

Dr. Mangesh P Kamath (JP Nagar)

• Experience: 17 years total, 5 years as a specialist
• DNB (Internal Medicine at The Bangalore Hospital, under the National Board of Examination, New Delhi)
• Super-specialty training in Medical Oncology, Hematooncology, and Bone Marrow Transplantation from the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore
• European Certification in Medical Oncology (ECMO-Medical Oncology)

Dr. Vinayak Munirathnam (Kalyan Nagar)

• Experience: 11 years total, 5 years as a specialist
• MBBS, MD
• Medical Oncology, Haematology & Stem Cell Transplant from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences at Cochin
• Fellowship training in Paediatric and Adult Oncology and Transplant from MIE University, Japan

Dr. Murali Subramanium (Malleswaram)

• Experience: 23 years total, 15 years as a specialist
• MBBS, MD
• DM in Medical Oncology from Gujarat Cancer Institute
• Super specialised in adult and pediatric medical oncology

Dr. Linu Jacob (Nagarbhavi)

• Experience: 23 years total, 15 years as a specialist
• DM (Medical Oncology) training from the prestigious Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore
• Super specialised in Breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, myeloma, lymphoma
• European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) certified

How do you compare these doctors’ experience and degrees? We have discussed exactly that in a previous article.

How do these smaller centres reduce chemotherapy charges?

1. Low Administration Charges:

Smaller or medium-sized cancer care facilities like a small hospital or a daycare centre, will help you reduce the infusion charges. These centres operate as daycare facilities so that you can walk out and lead your daily life after your session is over.

2. Help with Patient Assistance Program:

Patient Assistance Programs are sponsorship programs run by pharmaceutical companies to help cancer patients with their cancer treatment costs. These types of companies generally work with oncologists to develop opportunities like 2+1, which means if you require a certain medication for 2 cycles then the drug for the third cycle is provided for free by the pharma company. Depending on your age, body part, cancer type and stage, there are several kinds of programs offered by the pharma companies.

Small or medium size cancer hospitals and day care centres put their patients in touch with the pharma company representatives to avail Patient Assistance Program.

You can share your prescription with our team to check if you qualify for a Patient Assistance Program.

Alternately, get in touch with your medical oncologist to enquire about such programs. They will put you in touch with distributors of the pharma companies to enroll you for the program.

At DCode Care, we put our patients and their caregivers at the centre of the treatment journey. The interests, abilities and financial situations of the patients are important factors to weigh in while choosing the right chemotherapy centre for treatment.

If you want to find out if you are eligible for a patient assistance program, get in touch with us and we will be able to provide you options to reduce your treatment costs.

Every month over 400 cancer patients find affordable high-quality cancer treatment in Bangalore through DCode Care. We have been simplifying cancer care for patients by providing exclusive information about the best cancer treatment hospitals in Bangalore, as well as specialists for every cancer type. Our patient counsellors are here to help you in your time of need and to provide you with the best choice of treatment available according to your exact requirements. Get in touch with us today.