Reasons to choose India over other countries
Economy and standard of living
India has a very favourable price for receiving bone marrow stem cell treatments when contrasted with the costs of receiving these same kinds of treatments in the United States, Thailand and other parts of Europe. Everything you will have to do in order to receive treatment will also be much less expensive than using the services of hospitals in the Western Hemisphere.
Options
When looking for hospitals in India, there are many options available that provide functional medical treatments regardless of your financial capabilities. Hospitals have also been attempting to cut costs for a number of years through the advancement of technology and medicine, so that a person of any economic background will be able to access medical care.
Doctors have also been able to reduce the amount of money charged for their services when using technology and the latest advances in the practice of medicine; therefore, a patient should be able to obtain a physician who has the type of training and experience they desire for the successful resolution of their health problems. There is a wide variation in price range for individual surgeons; than for those who will provide patients with the “out-of-the-ordinary” stem cell transplants in comparison to the use of the currently available surgical procedures. Stem cell transplant treatment in India is more successful, cost are more variable.
Cost of bone marrow transplant in India
Whether or not to recommend chemotherapy or radiation therapy will depend on each individual patient's condition, as determined by their doctor(s). The cost of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy will be added on top of the cost of transplant, and is dependent upon the type of transplant performed.
A single round of chemotherapy can cost from $500 to $1,000 (INR 35,643 to 71,286).
Radiation therapy costs from $3,500 to $5,500 per session (INR 249,503 to 392,075).
These costs will not include any complications from surgery, stay, interdisciplinary treatment, special drugs, consumable items, or blood components.
When planning your bone marrow transplant in India, it is necessary to be completely prepared and informed about all aspects of the process so there will be no surprises.
The success rate of Bone Marrow Transplant in India
In India, the number of successful bone transplants varies per hospital across the country, but on average, about 60-90% successfully completed. Successful completion of a successful bone transplant surgesons work in highly skilled and experienced teams; there are adequate facilities available to perform the transplants, and all facilities have high-level patient care, sanitation, and infection control levels in compliance with state regulations. Following autologous transplantation, the incidence rate of relapse for patients is relatively low.
Main Types of Bone Marrow Transplant
Depending on the source of the bone marrow, a variety of transplant options exist. These include:
Autologous bone marrow transplantation
When the patient is both the donor and the recipient, it is called autologous transplantation. Mostly, the patients undergo a stem cell transplant procedure, after which their stem cells are either extracted from the bone marrow or collected through the apheresis method (this is a procedure of collecting peripheral blood stem cells). The cells are then stored and infused back into the patient. Sometimes "rescue" is used instead of "transplant".
Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation
The donor and the recipient belong to the same ethnic group. Stem cells are collected from a genetically matched donor by means of bone marrow harvest or apheresis; the donor is usually a brother or a sister. Besides siblings, parents and other relatives can also be sources for allogeneic bone marrow transplants.
A parent is a person who raises and supports a child. Haplo-identical matches are when the donor is a parent and the recipient’s genetic match is at least half identical. These kinds of transplants are quite rare.
Unrelated bone marrow transplants (UBMT or MUD for matched unrelated donor)
Bone marrow or stem cells that are genetically matched to the recipient are obtained from an unrelated donor. There are national bone marrow registries that are used to find unrelated donors for bone marrow transplants.
Umbilical cord blood transplantation
Umbilical cord stem cells can be extracted after the delivery of the baby. As these stem cells are harvested from the bone marrow of a young individual, they are capable of proliferating much more quickly than stem cells from an adult. The stem cells are tested, typed, and counted before being frozen for storage until needed for the transplant.
Best Bone Marrow Transplant Hospitals in India
There are quite a few on the list of India's top bone marrow transplant facilities. Each of these hospitals has top-notch facilities and arrangements that make them ideal for patients from all over the world.
Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon
The Institute of Blood Disorders & Bone Marrow Transplant (IBD & BMT) is located at Fortis Memorial Research and provides the most advanced options for patients who need a hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
It is one of the first super-speciality hospitals in the world to provide treatment for hematologic diseases, including but not limited to leukemia, lymphoma, solid tumours, and aplastic anaemia.
Transplants of bone marrow for people of all ages (adults, children, and juveniles) for malignant and non-malignant blood diseases with cells derived from the IBD & BMT (either autologous or allogeneic) will take place.
FMRI's BMT section provides high-quality, reliable medical care using internationally recognised standards of care for performing BMT procedures.
In addition to multiple myeloma, lymphoma, paediatric BMT, and thalassemia BMT, our multi-disciplinary staff provides comprehensive care and treatment for BMT patients. Our team consists of medical oncologists, haematologists, and experts in BMT.
FMRI also provides this type of BMT service for people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who have rare and unique diseases that cannot be treated with conventional medical therapies (i.e., MS).
Medanta – The Medicity, Gurgaon
As a globally-accredited multi-super speciality health care facility, located in Gurgaon, Medanta provides comprehensive and extensive health care services and capabilities.
The Medanta Bone Marrow Transplant program, which is one of the premier hospitals in India, provides the highest quality of Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) services. A significant number of patients suffering from haematological malignancies and disorders will benefit from Medanta’s resources and human expertise.
Dr. Satya Prakash Yadav, widely considered the best paediatric hematologist in the country, runs an internationally recognised paediatric BMT program at Medanta. Through Medanta’s Children’s Organ Transplant Program, children have received half-matched donor transplants.
Infection control in patients requiring BMT is excellent at Medanta; isolation procedures are performed in a specially designed, isolated facility that includes isolation rooms equipped with HEPA filters, as well as laminar airflow systems.
At Medanta, there is one patient cared for by one nurse, and each nurse has been trained to care for patients who are immunocompromised.
Medanta's (biologically defined) blood bank service capabilities provide blood for all forms of BMT.
Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi
Apollo Hospitals Group is a global leader in healthcare (with Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, as its flagship hospital).
Apollo provides comprehensive patient-oriented treatment (adults and children) and an outstanding track record of success for patients afflicted with blood diseases.
Apollo Hospitals can provide reliable, low-cost BMT treatment in India, which is a very popular option for many international patients needing BMT.
Bone marrow transplant (BMT) experts include hemato-oncologists, paediatric haematologists, cancer surgeons and specially trained nursing staff, all working in unison to provide the best possible outcome for patients.
Apollo Hospitals has excellent infection control procedures in place for patients receiving bone marrow transplants. After receiving their procedure, patients will receive excellent postoperative care, including measures to prevent infection.
Max Super Speciality Hospital, Delhi
In New Delhi, Max Super Specialty Hospital is known for offering advanced levels of care and has been named one of New Delhi’s premier centres for stem cell therapy (bone marrow transplant - BMT).
Max’s Department of Hematology & Bone Marrow Transplant provides a very comprehensive BMT program, including autologous, allogeneic, unrelated, and mismatched. Max is unique in that over the last 10 years, they have established a state-of-the-art facility with strict international safety and infection control standards that have been developed based on the latest international code requirements and standards of good practice for BMT facilities. Additionally, they utilise HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filtration systems to keep the construction and patient environment free of a variety of pathogens.
The department is staffed with hematologists from around the world and offers significant experience providing successful treatment of both adult and pediatric patients with benign and malignant hematologic (blood) and/or bone marrow disorders.
Why Choose Mighty Health
In India, Mighty Health is considered one of the top players in the medical tourism industry. Thanks to our affiliations with some of the best bone marrow transplant facilities in India, we will provide excellent assistance as we help you find the best available treatment option. If you are visiting from an Asian country, you will find that our medical tourism services are also exceptional. We will do everything until all of your communications with the hospitals regarding the medical treatment covered by the insurance are stress-free for the patient, including visa facilitation and providing accommodations for accompanying your patient.
Final Words
In an emergency, individuals with life-threatening conditions like leukaemia and lymphoma must be saved by using a certified donor. Donating bone marrow through the Bone Marrow Registry has the potential to save a life.