Your Cancer Care Journey Made Stress-free

A biopsy is the most accurate way to find out whether you have cancer. A biopsy is when a little piece of tissue is removed and looked at under a microscope to see if there is cancer and what sort. Imaging (ultrasound, CT, MRI, or PET scans) and blood tests are used to confirm the diagnosis and assess the extent of disease.

The biopsy and pathology report are the cornerstone of your treatment strategy as they tell us the precise kind and grade of your cancer. Molecular or biomarker testing may also be done on the same sample to help guide targeted or immunotherapy approaches.

Many cancers are treatable, especially when caught early, and many people become long-term cancer-free survivors. The prospects for a cure depend on the type and stage of the disease and how the condition reacts to therapy, which is why early diagnosis is so vital.

Often, a cancer can be managed for years even if it cannot be completely cured, while quality of life is maintained. Your treatment goal can be cure, long-term control, or reduction of symptoms. Your oncologist can tell you what to expect, so your expectations are in tune with your situation.

Not necessarily, no. Immunotherapy is particularly effective for some tumors and some patients, but not for others, and for many malignancies, chemotherapy remains the best or only treatment.” Not that one is newer. It depends on the type of cancer, the stage, and biomarker information.

Some cancers may respond to immunotherapy for a longer duration. Side effects vary, but it can be considerably more expensive and only helps a subset of people. Your oncologist may do some testing, such as checking for biomarkers such as PD-L1, to help decide who is likely to respond.

Very varied. Chemotherapy is usually given in rounds, over several months, every two or three weeks. Radiation therapy is usually administered every day for several weeks. Immunotherapy may be given for a few months up to a year or longer. The type and stage of cancer you have, and the goal of treatment, will determine the full timeline.

Sometimes the treatment is sequential, for example, surgery and then chemotherapy, or chemo and radiation at the same time. When you have a plan in place, your oncologist can provide you with a schedule with expected breaks in between cycles for healing.

Yes, many chemotherapy regimens can be given as a day case procedure, where you attend in the morning, receive the infusion over a few hours, and go home the same evening without an overnight stay. This is safe for most usual regimens and is determined by your oncologist. 

Day-care chemotherapy can save hospital costs considerably in comparison with admission, with the advantage of close observation. Patients needing intensive regimens or more support may still need admission. Most of the health insurance schemes now provide explicit mention of daycare chemotherapy.

Yeah, at Oncare, you have a cost-estimate session before treatment begins, when the staff will review the likely total cost based on your cancer kind, stage, planned medications, and the number of cycles. This allows you and your family to plan your budget and receive insurance or help before.

The estimate is a range that’s as accurate as can be because treatment can change based on how your body reacts. Keep copies of your treatment plan and bills as you go, and ask questions about any fees that you don’t understand to stay in control of expenses.

If you do not have insurance, several routes can help: subsidised treatment options, NGO and charity support, and hospital payment plans. A financial counsellor can match these to your situation.

Choosing generic or biosimilar drugs and day-care chemotherapy also lowers out-of-pocket costs significantly. At Oncare, the team provides cost-estimate sessions and helps families identify every applicable scheme and assistance programme before treatment begins.

It helps to ask at your first session: What kind and stage of cancer do I have? What is the purpose of treatment? What are my alternatives and their harmful effects? How long will treatment take? What will it cost? Writing things down ahead of time makes the visit much more useful.

Bring a family member or a friend to take notes and urge the doctor to repeat anything you don’t understand in simpler terms. Also, ask who to contact in between visits and if a second opinion or biomarker testing is recommended for your situation.

Many people can continue working through cancer treatment, but you may need to cut hours or change duties around treatment days due to exhaustion. It depends on your job, your type of therapy, and how you feel, so prepare for flexibility rather than assuming you must stop working entirely.

For these reasons, lighter schedules around infusion days are helpful as fatigue commonly builds up throughout a course of chemotherapy. Be open in talking with your employer about appropriate changes and with your care team about how to fit in treatments into your routine where possible.

Not all cancer treatments involve surgery. Whether you may need surgery depends on the type of cancer, how far it has progressed, where it is located, and your general state of health. Surgery can sometimes assist in removing the tumor completely in many early-stage malignancies. Some cancers respond better to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, or targeted treatments.

Sometimes surgery is also performed for diagnosis, staging, debulking, or symptom relief. Our oncology experts take care to assess each patient before suggesting the best course of treatment.