One of the main problems of modern medicine is that the mortality of mankind from cancer continues to grow every year. Chemotherapy is currently one of the main treatments for cancer. This will be discussed below.
The concept of the method
Chemotherapy is a method of treating a disease (infectious, oncological) with the help of drugs that have a detrimental effect on the cause of the disease and a somewhat detrimental effect on he althy body cells. That is, the whole organism as a whole suffers from the ongoing treatment.
Types of chemotherapy
In oncology, there are several classifications of this treatment method.
The first one is by time.
- Adjuvant maintenance therapy. The main goal is to prevent the occurrence of relapses after the main tumor has already been destroyed. Preparations of this category destroy even single tumor cells that could remain after the removal of the main neoplasm. The result of using this method is an increasepatient survival by 15%. The cost of chemotherapy in this case depends on the chosen treatment regimen, the exact diagnosis and the stage of the malignant process.
- Neoadjuvant therapy - the use of drugs with a cytostatic effect at the stage of preparation for surgery to remove the main tumor. The goal is to track the reaction of the tumor to the ongoing treatment and make it less aggressive, which will increase the chances of a successful surgical intervention.
- Induction chemotherapy. The main goal is to prepare the patient's body for surgical removal of the tumor, as well as its metastases. However, this type of treatment is often resorted to when the cancer is diagnosed too late and the tumor is found to be inoperable. In this case, drugs are prescribed to improve the quality of life of the patient. The cost of this type of chemotherapy is slightly higher than the others.
- Palliative chemotherapy. This is the "last resort" treatment. They turn to him when other methods of therapy are powerless. For example, a person has a primary malignant focus of enormous size or numerous metastases. The drugs of this group alleviate the patient's condition, slow down the spread of malignant cells, thereby prolonging the patient's life. The cost of this type of chemotherapy is usually paid for by the federal budget.
Another common classification of chemotherapy drugs is by their color.
- Red chemo. It is the most aggressive treatmentbecause it is highly toxic to he althy cells in the body. This includes drugs of the antacycline subgroup (for example, Doxorubicin or Idarubicin). Outwardly, they are solutions of red color. The cost of a course of chemotherapy with these drugs is in the price range from 2,000 to 8,000 rubles.
- Blue chemo. It should include drugs such as Mitoxantrone and Mitomycin. They look like solutions with a bluish tint. The drugs of this group are less toxic, but, despite this, they can cause a number of undesirable side reactions from the body.
- Yellow chemotherapy. It is easy to guess that this includes yellow chemotherapy drugs, such as Metatrexate and Fluorouracil, as well as Cyclophosphamide. Considered the most "harmless" chemistry among others, causing a minimum number of side effects.
- Rarely, white chemotherapy is still used. These are funds such as "Taxol" or "Tacosel".
Modern types of chemotherapy
Medicine does not stand still. The current situation in oncology dispensaries makes us look for new and effective methods of cancer treatment. At the moment, there are several types of modern chemotherapy.
Targeted chemotherapy. Drugs affect cancer cells at the molecular level, they start the process of self-destruction of atypical cells, affecting their metabolism. The main advantage of this method is the almost complete absence of negative effects.on he althy organs and tissues of the patient, due to this the risk of side effects is minimal.
This includes drugs such as Sorafenib, Nexavar, Bevacizumab, Avastin.
The cost of chemotherapy in this case is approximately 70-160 thousand rubles per package.
Hyperthermic chemotherapy. This is one of the non-standard methods of cancer treatment, in which a cancerous tumor is exposed to high temperatures (41-41.5 degrees Celsius) and the simultaneous administration of an anti-cancer component. Scientists have proven that the thermal factor has a very detrimental effect on certain types of tumors. The use of this method is especially relevant when the patient has a neoplasm of considerable size or a large number of metastases. The combination of this method and the use of cytostatics gives the maximum chances for recovery. Nevertheless, hyperthermia is not suitable for all patients, and its appointment can only be determined by an oncologist.
Platinum chemotherapy. Represents the use of drugs based on platinum. For example, Cisplatin. Such drugs have a powerful anti-cancer effect and actually destroy the tumor in the vast majority of cases. The main disadvantage is a pronounced toxic effect on the patient's body and a large number of adverse reactions.
Which chemotherapy is the most effective?
It is difficult to say which of the above remedies are the most effective. After all, there are special medical protocols, according to which for eachtype of cancer, the optimal treatment regimen is selected. As a rule, the simultaneous administration of drugs from different groups of chemotherapy gives the maximum effect. In order for the therapeutic effect of treatment courses to be as pronounced as possible, specialists usually recommend polychemotherapy.
Cost of chemotherapy for cancer
Standard chemotherapeutic treatment of cancer, as a rule, costs the cancer patient free of charge and is paid by the state under the CHI policy. Below are approximate prices for one package of cytostatic:
- "Vincristine" - 100-150 rubles;
- "Epirubicin" - 250-300 rubles;
- "Adriblastin" - 200-250 rubles;
- "Zavedos" - 2900-3000 rubles;
- "Cyclophosphamide" - 30-80 rubles;
- "Doxorubicin" - 100-150 rubles;
- "Methotrexate" - 80-130 rubles;
- "Fluorouracil" - 270-320 rubles;
- "Mercaptopurine" - 900-1000 rubles;
- "Cytarabine" - 700-800 rubles;
- "Cisplatin" - from 150-200 rubles;
- "Oxaliplatin" - 1200-1300 rubles.
If you look at the standard protocols for the treatment of cancer, you can calculate the cost of chemotherapy for oncology. Of course, you need to take into account that the figures will be only approximate. Consider some cancer pathologies.
Cost of stomach cancer treatment
Let's try to calculate the cost of chemotherapy for stomach cancer.
Standard schemetreatment includes 3-6 courses using drugs such as:
- "Epirubicin";
- "Cisplatin";
- "5-fluorouracil".
One course costs an average of 2500 rubles. So 3-6 courses - at 7500 and 15000, respectively.
This is what concerns public cancer centers that are funded by the state budget.
Paid treatment
If we talk about paid treatment in specialized centers, then the prices there are completely different.
- For example, one course of chemotherapy will cost starting from 7,000 rubles and more.
- Accommodation in the most ordinary ward - from 3000 rubles/day.
- Specialist consultation - from 3000 rubles.
- Installation of a port for chemotherapy - cost from 60,000 rubles.
Plus, the costs include the work of medical personnel, taking tests, conducting examinations and much more. Thus, in total, a fairly decent amount of 1-3 million rubles is accumulated for treatment. It should be noted that, as a rule, more modern and effective drugs are used in these centers.
Cost of chemotherapy for breast cancer
Breast cancer is one of the most common pathologies among other cancers in women. Therefore, it is very interesting to know the cost of chemotherapy for this disease.
As a rule, "Cisplatin" and "Metatrexate" are used for treatment. The cost of one course will be about 2000rubles. In paid institutions, prices will be approximately equal to those for the treatment of stomach cancer.
Duration of chemotherapy
How long the treatment of a patient with chemicals will last, individually for each patient. This is influenced by factors such as:
- diagnosis name;
- malignant process stage;
- tumor size;
- her aggressiveness;
- presence of metastases;
- possibility of operation;
- general condition of the patient;
- age and sex of the patient;
- he has any chronic diseases and more.
Administration of chemotherapy
Regardless of the chosen tactics and treatment regimen, the general plan for its implementation is the same and consists of the following steps:
- On the appointed day, the patient must appear at the oncology dispensary, where a medical card must be entered for him at the reception.
- Consultation with the attending oncologist. He studies the results of laboratory tests and examinations, which the patient must undergo without fail the day before. The doctor also listens to possible complaints, assesses the general condition of the patient.
- If everything suits him, and he considers chemotherapy possible, then the patient is placed in the ward where he will live during treatment.
- Every morning there is a medical round where the patient can ask any questions of interest.
- Chemotherapy in progress. This usually representsintravenous drip of the drug over several hours.
- After each drip, an infusion of saline (0.9% NaCl) is usually given. This is done in order to "cleanse" the blood of excess toxins from the drug.
- In addition, if necessary, a person is given drugs for symptomatic treatment (antiemetics, painkillers and other medicines).
- After completing a course of chemotherapy, the patient remains in the hospital for a certain period. Doctors monitor his condition for some time and, if the patient has no complaints, they discharge him and set a date for the next meeting.
- A patient goes home to rest and recuperate before another round of chemotherapy for cancer. The cost of the recovery period usually includes providing the patient with vitamins, he althy foods, some drugs, and so on. Proper rest during this period ensures the success of the next course of treatment.
Conclusion
The cost of chemotherapy for oncology can be completely different. The price of each course depends on many factors, the most important of which is the type of funding.
If the treatment is paid by the state, then we can say that the patient is free of charge. Another question is if the therapy is carried out in specialized private cancer centers. In this case, the patient must pay for everything out of his own pocket.
The highestthe cost of drugs for chemotherapy of the targeted type. This is easily explained by the high cost of raw materials and the complexity of production, as well as imports to Russia from European countries.
