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A lung cancer diagnosis is always a difficult pill to swallow. Whether it is a newly diagnosed condition or recurring, it can give you and your loved ones immense mental and emotional stress. Amidst all this, there is the matter of choosing the best pulmonary oncologist, a hospital that meets all your needs and managing your expenses throughout the treatment schedule.
Cancer treatment is becoming progressively available in a large number of treatment centers in India. However, even if they provide quality treatment, they might not live up to your expectations. Hence, you must consider and compare multiple options and get second opinions before settling on the best choice.
This article follows an account of the factors you need to consider and how you can choose the best hospital for lung cancer treatment in India.
Why You Should Consider Multiple Options
A cancer diagnosis can easily impart a sense of urgency. You would want to go to the first treatment center you come across to begin the treatment as soon as possible. However, keeping a calm mind and looking for all your options is necessary. This might take a little time, but in the end, this decision would greatly impact the results. Heres why:
- Studies have shown that the choice of cancer treatment center has a big impact on the survival rate of the patient.
- After starting your treatment at one center, you might find another lung cancer treatment program that would have suited you better.
- Taking second opinions before starting the treatment would make you aware of the different treatment options available to you and which one suits you the best.
- Some hospitals and cancer treatment centers do not cover all aspects of the treatment, and you might have to visit different centers; this makes the whole treatment process more expensive and stressful.
What Factors Should You Consider Before Making The Decision?
Now that you know why considering multiple options is important, how do you actually make a comparison between different hospitals and clinics? What is the basis of this comparison?
Lung cancer treatment doesn involve only the treatment itself. It has several other supporting pillars that determine the overall quality of the cancer care you get.
Mentioned below are some basic but immensely important factors to consider:
- Quality of the treatment provided
- What does their lung cancer treatment program involve
- The number of patients getting lung cancer treatment from the facility
- The dynamics of the multidisciplinary cancer care team
- Treatment methods and facilities available
- Your dynamics with the oncologist and the cancer care team
- Location of the treatment center
- The estimated overall expense
How are these factors relevant in choosing the most suitable lung cancer treatment hospital for you? The paragraphs below aim to explain the same.
1. Quality Of Treatment
You can determine the treatment quality of any medical center based on two main factors.
First is the annual success rate of the treatment provided. Look up the number of patients that seek lung cancer treatment in the hospital and how many of them experience successful or positive results.
The second factor to consider is what the patients who have previously received treatment from the hospital have to say. You can either get this information from someone you know or from the online reviews of the patients.
This gives you insight into the quality of the treatment, the treatment options available, and how the cancer care team works together.
2. An All-round Cancer Care Program
A treatment solely dedicated to lung cancer alone involves a combination of two or more approaches among surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and other options.
Apart from this, you might also require physical therapy, respiratory therapy, emotional counseling, and other medical attention. Having all this provided to you in one place takes a big load off your shoulders.
An ideal lung cancer treatment program would involve a multidisciplinary medical team encompassing oncologists (medical and radiation), surgeons, anesthesiologists, pathology experts, imaging experts, physical therapists, emotional therapists, a financial consultant team, and much more.
3. The Patient Volume
The number of patients choosing a hospital for cancer care indicates two things. First is how many people trust that center for the best quality treatment. And second is how much experience the cancer care team has in providing the treatment you want.
A hospital with a high patient volume is also more likely to have the latest treatment equipment and an attentive staff team.
4. Dynamics Of The Multidisciplinary Team
It takes good cooperation, coordination, and mutual understanding for a multidisciplinary team to provide the best treatment. This helps the treatment to go on smoothly and also contributes to your comfort.
5. Treatment Methods And Facilities
Only a select number of cancer care centers perform the latest clinical trials for cancer treatment. Choosing one such facility would expose you to a more advanced and probably more effective treatment option.
The imaging, radiation, surgical, and other equipment used in the diagnosis and treatment also affect the overall quality. The use of the latest technology ensures accurate imaging and efficient care.
6. Your Dynamics With The Treatment Team
The dynamics between you and the cancer treatment team are important to consider. You should be able to communicate with them about your condition openly. The team also should be empathic and attentive. They should be transparent about the different aspects of your treatment, the possible risks, and what results to expect.
7. Location Of The Treatment Centre
During the treatment, you would need to visit the hospital frequently. So the location of the center is important to consider.
Do you want to stay at home and close to your family throughout the treatment? Or are you willing to stay at a different location with your whole family or only with your caregivers during the treatment?
These are the questions you need to ask yourself. Also, if the location is far from your home, consider whether there are affordable and favorable stay options close to the hospital.
8. The Treatment Cost
Cancer treatment is expensive. It requires advanced methods, medications, and equipment. However, even among these, you can find the one program that offers quality along with affordability.
Also, not all insurance policies are compatible with a given cancer care program. So before starting the treatment, consult with your insurance team about whether or not they would cover the treatment expense and how much.
Making The Final Decision
To decide on the best lung cancer treatment hospital in India, there are surely many things to consider and multiple options to choose from. In addition to the factors discussed above, you should also ensure that your treatment providers are available during emergencies and easy to contact whenever you have any questions or doubts. Also, do not hesitate to seek a second opinion.
Choosing the best lung cancer treatment program for yourself or your loved one is a big decision. You are free to consider as many options and take as many opinions as you want. In the end, only settle for the treatment program that you feel to be the best.
Dr. Arvind Kumar is named among the best treatment providers for lung cancer. Currently providing his services at Medanta Mediclinic in Delhi and Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon, he has the support of the best multidisciplinary team to offer lung cancer care.
Dr. Arvind Kumar has been awarded Dr. B. C. Roy National Award and has over 40 years of experience. His eminent team proffers the latest treatment, including VATS, Robotics and is the provider of the only comprehensive A to Z lung cancer treatment in India.
