Victoria Warner Last week Dr Clive Kaiser connected with you as he described the desperation of learning his mother, Daphne, had been diagnosed with a particularly aggressive bile duct cancer. If you missed it you can read all about it by going to the previous page.
The first segment ended with Clive and his mother en route to Bangalore, India, where they sought a promising cutting edge treatment.
Now we get to read about the events that took place from that time. Here is his description.
The first segment ended with Clive and his mother en route to Bangalore, India, where they sought a promising cutting edge treatment.
Now we get to read about the events that took place from that time. Here is his description.
The treatment
Dr. Clive Kaiser Our two weeks in Bangalore turned out to be a whirlwind, amazing experience. The first priority at Health Care Global was to have Daphne undergo extensive medical testing. She had blood tests, an angiogram, CT Scan, PET/CT scan, and an MRI. The PET/CT scan picked up that there were two lymph nodes that had become infected too, but that these had receded since her CT scan in Walla Walla, which they were able to interpret as I had taken that scan with us.
Finally the Cyberknife treatment took place. It is an incredibly accurate, (1.7mm) pinpoint radiation delivery system. To ensure she would lie perfectly still they first made a mould of her body. When she was in that she could not even move a tiny bit!
Then Daphne had 5 consecutive days of the cyberknife treatment, each lasting 2 hours. They treated the two infected lymph nodes too. After the two weeks were up, they sent us home and suggested two cycles of chemotherapy after a break of 3 weeks to make sure there was no further metastasizing of the cancer.
Finally the Cyberknife treatment took place. It is an incredibly accurate, (1.7mm) pinpoint radiation delivery system. To ensure she would lie perfectly still they first made a mould of her body. When she was in that she could not even move a tiny bit!
Then Daphne had 5 consecutive days of the cyberknife treatment, each lasting 2 hours. They treated the two infected lymph nodes too. After the two weeks were up, they sent us home and suggested two cycles of chemotherapy after a break of 3 weeks to make sure there was no further metastasizing of the cancer.
Plans for future treatment
Daphne is due to start the first of those cycles at the end of this month. She seems fit and able again and there were no side effects of the cyberknife. We have to wait for another 3 months to do a PET/CT scan again which will determine whether the cancer has been eradicated. I will keep you informed of the results of all that. They do invite you back for evaluation in India but I have found a private health clinic in Durban (ironically also owned by Indians) that can do the PET/CT scan and we will mail a copy to HCG for their assessment.
Amazingly, PET/CT scans are not done routinely in South Africa due to scarcity of the equipment and the medical aids not covering the cost as an outpatient. A PET/CT is crucial in determining the exact type of cancer that is present and the subsequent chemicals to be used in the chemotherapy plan need to be tailored to the exact cancer type. Otherwise you are doing a hit and miss.
Indeed another South African couple in Bangalore with Stage 4 cancer was on three different chemicals in South Africa and only one of those was working on the tumors in her lungs. They were not having any effect on the liver or pancreas. Also, HCG was able to catch another tumor in her neck from the PET/CT scan which the South African oncologists had completely missed...
Amazingly, PET/CT scans are not done routinely in South Africa due to scarcity of the equipment and the medical aids not covering the cost as an outpatient. A PET/CT is crucial in determining the exact type of cancer that is present and the subsequent chemicals to be used in the chemotherapy plan need to be tailored to the exact cancer type. Otherwise you are doing a hit and miss.
Indeed another South African couple in Bangalore with Stage 4 cancer was on three different chemicals in South Africa and only one of those was working on the tumors in her lungs. They were not having any effect on the liver or pancreas. Also, HCG was able to catch another tumor in her neck from the PET/CT scan which the South African oncologists had completely missed...
Trip and treatment costs
The obvious question that must be on the tip of everyone’s tongue is how much did it cost? Well, the treatment (including all tests and the cyberknife) cost USD10,000 and there was an additional $689 for accommodation and meals for both of us for 2 weeks. The two air tickets from Johannesburg to Bangalore cost USD750 each so all in all the treatment from country of origin to Bangalore and back for the patient and accompanying family member cost ~USD12,000. Amazing to think that a single MRI in the USA costs $12,500 (this I know because I have had 3 on my back in the past 10 years!!!).
In conclusion, it amazes me India has cornered the market in relatively affordable health care with some of the best available treatments in the world. It also amazes me that a country like South Africa has fallen so far behind the rest of the world in terms of treatment of patients and has resolved itself to offering palliative care only. After all, South Africa always prided itself on the fact that they claimed the credit for the first heart transplant performed on a human being…
In conclusion, it amazes me India has cornered the market in relatively affordable health care with some of the best available treatments in the world. It also amazes me that a country like South Africa has fallen so far behind the rest of the world in terms of treatment of patients and has resolved itself to offering palliative care only. After all, South Africa always prided itself on the fact that they claimed the credit for the first heart transplant performed on a human being…
Around Bangalore
On a personal level, Bangalore is an amazingly interesting place. India, being the 42nd country I have visited, lived up to all my expectations and some. There are 10 million people living in Bangalore. The city never sleeps and the traffic goes all day and all night. People drive with their hands on the horn and honk continually so sleeping is a challenge if you have a room overlooking a road.
Despite that the traffic flows and people navigate in their cars, trucks, motorcycles, tuk tuks and horse drawn carts. Life is never dull or boring there. HCG picks you up at the airport upon your arrival and delivers you back there on your exit. They also organized private SUV’s for us to go and do some sightseeing and shopping on the weekends. The drivers wait for you and help you with wheel chair etc. Basically it’s not a scary place and one well worth seeing.
Despite that the traffic flows and people navigate in their cars, trucks, motorcycles, tuk tuks and horse drawn carts. Life is never dull or boring there. HCG picks you up at the airport upon your arrival and delivers you back there on your exit. They also organized private SUV’s for us to go and do some sightseeing and shopping on the weekends. The drivers wait for you and help you with wheel chair etc. Basically it’s not a scary place and one well worth seeing.
A big thank you
Finally, I would like to say a huge thank you to the doctors and staff of the HCG Hospital. Except for one security officer in the cyberknife department, whom I wrote up for rudeness and contempt in my final review, they were always professional, courteous and most gracious. People definitely count in India and they are doing their utmost to help anyone in need. The medical staff at HCG are a tribute to the medical profession. Hippocrates would definitely approve of their upholding his Oath.
After dropping Daphne off in Johannesburg with one of my cousins, I got back on a plane a day later and flew to Norway for 3 weeks as I have to fulfill my research obligations to the Norwegian Government. I am writing this from the fjords of Norway where I have been able to take a deep sigh of relief and kick back after the chaos that has been my life for the last 3 months!
After dropping Daphne off in Johannesburg with one of my cousins, I got back on a plane a day later and flew to Norway for 3 weeks as I have to fulfill my research obligations to the Norwegian Government. I am writing this from the fjords of Norway where I have been able to take a deep sigh of relief and kick back after the chaos that has been my life for the last 3 months!
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