Our full-fledged medical oncology department at HCG works towards the prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of a wide range of cancers through cutting-edge technology and personalised multimodal treatment protocols. Apart from inpatient chemotherapy facilities, we also have outpatient and ambulatory chemotherapy facilities available for patients via specialised chemo ports.
We have some of the top medical oncologists in India who are skilled at managing both solid tumours and haematological disorders among both adult and paediatric patients.
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment approach in medical oncology that uses powerful drugs to find and destroy cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy works by stopping or slowing the growth of body cells that divide and grow rapidly, which include cancer cells as well.
Chemotherapy is categorised into two types based on the time it is administered: neoadjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is administered before surgery or radiation therapy. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy may help in downstaging the disease, enhancing the patient’s tolerance and response to the surgery or radiation therapy, reducing the recurrence rates, and improving the overall survival rates.
Adjuvant chemotherapy on the other hand, is administered after surgery or radiation therapy, and it helps reduce the risk of recurrence and improves the chances of a positive clinical outcome.
Apart from preventing recurrence, chemotherapy is also helpful in preventing cancer from spreading to other organs (metastasis).
In recent times, oncologists have also adopted innovative chemotherapy approaches, such as metronomic chemotherapy, wherein chemotherapy drugs are administered in low doses over a long period of time. This approach is being used for patients who cannot tolerate high-dose chemotherapy sessions.
Immunotherapy, or biological therapy, is a personalised treatment approach, wherein the body’s immune cells are stimulated to launch an attack against cancer cells. Immunotherapy either employs the body’s immune cells or modified immune cells synthesised in the laboratory to boost the immune response against cancer. Immunotherapy may work against cancer by:
Various personalised approaches are used to reprogram the immune system among cancer patients:
Monoclonal antibodies are lab-generated antibodies that could work by blocking the division of cancer cells or triggering the immune system to destroy cancer cells.
During this procedure, the dendritic cells are extracted from the patient’s body, reengineered in the laboratory, and later injected back into the patient’s body. These modified dendritic cells attack cancer cells and destroy them.
During T-cell therapy, the T-cells are extracted, modified, and injected back into the patient’s body, where they target and destroy cancer cells.
This treatment involves injecting a specific type of virus into the patient's body. These viruses kill cancer cells without harming the healthy cells.
Cytokines are proteins that stimulate the immune system to fight cancer. They regulate the growth of cancer cells, trigger immune cells to attack cancer cells or attract immune cells to find and destroy cancer cells.
Cancer vaccines work by triggering the immune system to produce antibodies against cancer cells. These vaccines may contain dead cancer cells or protein components from cancer cells.
Targeted therapy focuses on targeting specific proteins responsible for cancer cell growth, development, and spreading. Before administering the therapy, the tumour microenvironment is assessed to plan the treatment accordingly. Targeted therapy attacks cancer cells by:
Hormone therapy blocks hormones or reduces their levels to stop the growth or delay the progression of hormone-dependent or hormone-sensitive cancers. It is combined with other treatments like surgery or radiation therapy to enhance its overall effectiveness. Breast, prostate, ovarian, and uterine (endometrial) cancers can be treated with hormone therapy.