The financial toxicity of cancer care in India
“Sir, I don’t have the money for the test,” said Vijay, a low-income lung cancer patient from Hyderabad. His oncologist replied, “Without the money, he has only a few months left.” The test — a 12-gene next-generation DNA sequencing panel — could have guided a life-saving treatment plan.Genomics-informed precision medicine, or targeted therapy, offers the right treatment to the right patient at the right time, making previously untreatable cancers treatable. Yet, these breakthroughs, along with the latest treatments such as immunotherapy, monoclonal antibodies, and proton therapy, remain out of reach for many people from low and middle-income backgrounds.
Take 70-year-old Aslam, who has oral cancer. Immunotherapy for him would cost nearly ₹10 lakh annually, adding to the ₹25 lakh he ha...