Cancer treatment in Western countries has become extraordinarily expensive. A single course of targeted therapy or immunotherapy can cost $10,000–$20,000 per month in the United States. Surgical oncology packages that run to $100,000 or more are not unusual. In countries with public healthcare systems, the wait for specialist appointments and treatment slots — particularly for surgery and radiation — can add months to a timeline where months matter.

India has built a serious oncology infrastructure over the past two decades. Dedicated cancer centres in major cities offer the full spectrum of modern treatment: robotic cancer surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery (CyberKnife and Gamma Knife), proton beam therapy, immunotherapy, and bone marrow transplantation. The same drugs used in the US and Europe are available — and at substantially lower cost, because India manufactures many of the world's generic medications.

For international patients, the process is more straightforward than it might seem. Most leading cancer centres have tumour boards — multidisciplinary teams of oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, and pathologists — who review each case together before treatment begins. You bring your biopsy reports, scans, and pathology slides. They assess everything and give you a treatment plan, usually within a few days.