Cancer treatment is not the same for every patient. The medicines used, how they are given and how long treatment continues depend on the type and stage of cancer, its molecular characteristics, previous treatments and the patient's overall health. At the Centre for Cancer Medicine at Sterling Hospitals, medical oncologists, haemato-oncologists, nurses and supporting specialists work together to create a personalised treatment plan for every patient.

From chemotherapy and hormonal therapy to targeted treatments, immunotherapy, CAR-T cell therapy and bone marrow transplantation, our focus remains on treating the cancer while helping patients manage side effects, maintain strength and move through each stage of care with greater clarity.

Cancer Treatment That Reaches Beyond the Tumour

Some cancer treatments act throughout the body rather than treating only one localised area. These are known as systemic treatments. They may be used to destroy cancer cells, shrink a tumour before another treatment, treat cancer cells that may remain after surgery, reduce the risk of the cancer returning, control cancer that has spread, relieve symptoms and improve quality of life, or maintain disease control after the initial phase of treatment.

Systemic treatment may be given independently or as part of a combined treatment plan involving surgery or radiation therapy. The recommended approach depends on the cancer diagnosis and the individual patient.

Conditions Treated at the Centre for Cancer Medicine

Solid Tumours

Medical treatment may be recommended for cancers affecting different organs, including:

• Breast, lung and thyroid cancers
• Oral, head and neck cancers
• Oesophageal, stomach, colorectal and rectal cancers
• Liver and pancreatic cancers
• Ovarian, cervical, uterine and endometrial cancers
• Prostate, kidney and bladder cancers
• Skin cancers, including melanoma
• Bone and soft-tissue cancers
• Other localised, advanced or metastatic solid tumours

The treatment used for one patient may be very different from that used for another person with the same cancer. Tumour stage, biomarker results, previous treatment and overall health are considered before therapy begins. Sterling Hospitals' medical oncology teams provide treatment for solid and blood-related malignancies, including breast, lung, gastrointestinal, gynaecological, head and neck, prostate, lymphoma and myeloma cases.

Blood Cancers

Blood cancers begin in the blood-forming tissues, bone marrow or immune system. Unlike many solid tumours, they are generally treated primarily through medicines, cellular therapies or stem cell transplantation rather than tumour-removal surgery. Conditions managed may include leukaemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes and selected bone marrow and blood-forming disorders. Treatment may involve chemotherapy, targeted medicines, immunotherapy, CAR-T cell therapy or bone marrow transplantation, depending on the condition and its response to earlier treatment.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses medicines to destroy cancer cells or stop them from growing. Since these medicines can travel through the bloodstream, chemotherapy can reach cancer cells in different parts of the body.

It may be used as the main treatment for certain cancers, before surgery to shrink a tumour, after surgery to destroy remaining cancer cells, along with radiation therapy, to control cancer that has spread, to relieve symptoms in advanced cancer, or before CAR-T cell therapy or bone marrow transplantation.

Chemotherapy medicines may be given through a vein as an intravenous infusion, as tablets or capsules, through injections, through a catheter, port or infusion pump, or directly into a specific part of the body in selected cases. Treatment is usually given in cycles, with each cycle including a treatment period followed by a rest period that allows the body time to recover.

Day Care and Inpatient Chemotherapy

Many chemotherapy sessions can be completed without an overnight hospital stay. At the Day Care Chemotherapy facility, patients can receive their prescribed treatment, undergo monitoring and return home on the same day when medically appropriate.

A day care session may include review by the oncology team, blood tests before treatment, assessment of current symptoms or side effects, medicines to help prevent nausea or allergic reactions, administration of chemotherapy or other cancer medicines, monitoring during and after the infusion, and guidance regarding medicines, nutrition and precautions at home.

Some patients may need to be admitted to the hospital during chemotherapy. Inpatient treatment may be recommended when the treatment requires a prolonged or continuous infusion, a more intensive chemotherapy regimen is being given, the patient needs close medical monitoring, there is an increased risk of infection or other complications, severe treatment-related side effects need to be managed, the patient has additional health conditions, or an oncology-related emergency requires hospital care.

Targeted Therapy

Cancer cells may contain specific genes, proteins or pathways that allow them to grow and survive. Targeted therapy uses medicines designed to act on these particular features. Unlike conventional chemotherapy, targeted therapy focuses on selected molecular changes associated with the cancer, though it is not suitable for every patient.

Before recommending treatment, doctors may advise biomarker testing, molecular testing, genetic testing of the tumour, hormone-receptor testing or other specialised laboratory investigations. Targeted medicines may be given as tablets, capsules or intravenous infusions, alone or in combination with chemotherapy, immunotherapy or other treatments.

Immunotherapy

The immune system naturally identifies and removes abnormal cells. However, some cancer cells develop ways to avoid being recognised or attacked. Immunotherapy helps the immune system identify and fight cancer more effectively.

Types of immunotherapy may include immune checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, immune-modulating medicines, cancer vaccines in selected settings, and cellular therapies such as CAR-T cell therapy. It may be considered for selected cancers, including certain lung, kidney and bladder, head and neck, melanoma, gastrointestinal, gynaecological and blood cancers.

Whether immunotherapy is suitable depends on the cancer type, stage, biomarker results, immune health, previous treatments and other medical conditions. Because immunotherapy activates the immune system, it can sometimes cause inflammation in healthy organs, so patients are monitored for symptoms involving the skin, bowel, lungs, liver, thyroid, nervous system or other organs.

Hormonal Therapy

Some cancers use naturally occurring hormones to grow. Hormonal therapy, also called endocrine therapy, works by lowering hormone levels or blocking their effect on cancer cells. It is most commonly used in selected breast and prostate cancers.

Hormonal therapy may be given as tablets, through injections, before or after another treatment, as long-term maintenance treatment, or to control advanced or recurrent cancer. The treatment plan depends on whether the cancer is hormone-sensitive, the patient's age, stage of disease, menopausal status and previous treatment.

Some breast cancer cells contain receptors for the hormones oestrogen or progesterone and may respond to medicines that block hormone activity or reduce hormone production. Hormonal treatment may be recommended after breast cancer surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence, before surgery in selected cases, for cancer that has returned or spread, or as part of a long-term treatment plan. Patients may be monitored for changes involving bone strength, menopausal symptoms, blood-clot risk and other treatment-related effects.

Prostate cancer often depends on male hormones called androgens, including testosterone, for its growth. Hormonal treatment aims to reduce androgen levels or prevent them from stimulating cancer cells, and may be recommended for locally advanced prostate cancer, alongside radiation therapy in selected patients, when cancer has returned or spread, or when the cancer has become resistant to an earlier hormonal treatment. Regular monitoring may include prostate-specific antigen levels, imaging, bone health, blood sugar, cardiovascular health and treatment-related symptoms.

CAR-T Cell Therapy

CAR-T cell therapy is an advanced form of cellular immunotherapy. It uses a patient's own T-cells, a type of immune cell, and modifies them in a laboratory so they can recognise and attack specific cancer cells. It may be considered for selected patients with certain leukaemias, lymphomas or multiple myeloma, commonly when the cancer has returned or has not responded adequately to earlier treatments, although eligibility depends on the individual diagnosis and approved clinical indications.

T-cells are collected from the patient's blood, modified and multiplied in a laboratory, and infused back into the patient after preparatory chemotherapy, when required. The patient is then closely monitored for response and complications. CAR-T therapy can cause serious side effects, including cytokine release syndrome, and requires specialised medical care and monitoring.

Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplantation

A bone marrow transplant, also called a haematopoietic stem cell transplant, replaces damaged or diseased blood-forming cells with healthy stem cells. It may be considered for selected patients with leukaemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes or other serious bone marrow or blood disorders. Sterling Hospitals offers autologous, allogeneic and haploidentical bone marrow or stem cell transplantation as part of its haemato-oncology and BMT services.

• Autologous Transplant — the patient's own stem cells are collected and stored before intensive treatment, then later returned to the body to restore healthy blood-cell production.
• Allogeneic Transplant — stem cells are collected from a matched donor, who may be related or unrelated to the patient.
• Haploidentical Transplant — stem cells are obtained from a partially matched family donor, offering an option when a fully matched donor is not available.

The transplant process may include a detailed medical evaluation, tissue or HLA matching, stem cell collection, conditioning chemotherapy, stem cell infusion, infection prevention, blood-count monitoring, support during engraftment and long-term follow-up. The stem-cell infusion itself is similar to receiving blood through an intravenous line; recovery takes time because the immune system and blood-cell production need to rebuild after treatment.

Managing Side Effects During Treatment

Cancer medicines can affect each patient differently. Side effects depend on the treatment, dose, duration and the patient's overall health, and may include tiredness, nausea or vomiting, reduced appetite, hair loss, mouth sores, diarrhoea or constipation, low blood-cell counts, increased infection risk, numbness or tingling, skin changes and hormonal changes.

Before each treatment cycle, the team may review symptoms, perform blood tests and adjust medicines or treatment timing when necessary. Support may include anti-nausea medicines, pain management, infection prevention and treatment, blood or platelet transfusions when required, nutritional guidance, hydration support, management of treatment-related emergencies, and rehabilitation and follow-up care.

Patients should contact their healthcare team promptly if they experience persistent fever, breathing difficulty, unusual bleeding, severe weakness, confusion, uncontrolled vomiting or other sudden symptoms.

Supported by State-of-the-Art PET-CT

PET-CT combines functional and anatomical imaging to provide detailed information about cancer activity within the body. When medically advised, PET-CT may help doctors identify active cancer, determine the extent of disease, check whether cancer has spread, support treatment planning, assess how well treatment is working, investigate possible recurrence and guide follow-up care. Sterling Hospitals' Nuclear Medicine services use advanced PET-CT imaging to support cancer diagnosis, staging and treatment-response assessment.

Why Choose Sterling Hospitals?

• Experienced medical oncology and haemato-oncology teams.
• Personalised treatment based on cancer type, stage and biomarkers.
• Day care and inpatient chemotherapy support.
• Targeted therapy and immunotherapy for suitable patients.
• Hormonal treatment for breast and prostate cancers.
• CAR-T cell therapy assessment and care.
• Autologous, allogeneic and haploidentical stem cell transplantation.
• Management of chemotherapy and immunotherapy-related complications.
• PET-CT-supported diagnosis, treatment planning and monitoring.
• Multidisciplinary Tumour Board guidance.
• Nutrition, symptom management and follow-up support.
• Coordinated care across different stages of the cancer journey.

Expert Guidance Through the Tumour Board Helpline

Cancer treatment may involve medicines, surgery, radiation therapy or a carefully planned combination of approaches. Understanding which option should come first can be difficult for patients and families. Through Sterling Hospitals' Tumour Board Helpline, a patient's case and medical reports can be reviewed collectively by specialists from medical, surgical and radiation oncology, supported by experts in nuclear medicine, radiology, pathology and critical care.

Based on this multidisciplinary review, the team can guide patients towards the most appropriate treatment pathway and the next steps for their condition. The service is open to cancer patients at any stage and is available free of cost across Gujarat. Send "Hello" on WhatsApp to 6357 105 105 to begin your Tumour Board review.

Begin Your Treatment with Confidence

Cancer treatment may involve different medicines, changing treatment plans and regular follow-ups over time. At Sterling Hospitals, our medical oncology teams stay closely involved through every stage, helping patients understand their options, manage side effects and move forward with confidence.

Call 98 98 98 78 78 to book an appointment with our oncology experts.

Frequently Asked Questions