Cancer Helpline aspires to be your companion in your cancer journey. Cancer Helpline provides you with comprehensive knowledge that will help you make important treatment decisions relating to cancer. We also provide you access to our support services network that eases the burden of living with the disease.

We offer our services across India. Our call centre based services can assist patients and carers from across the country.

You can call us on our toll free number, 1800 200 2676, from Monday – Saturday 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM or fill in your details on our website so our team can call you.

To register with us you can call us on our toll free number, 1800 200 2676, from Monday – Saturday 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM or fill in your details on our website.

Our information services are free of charge. However, specialised consultation with healthcare professionals are charged according to the service provided. To make the payment please click the following. Support Us

The type of cancer treatment or combination of treatments that a patient has, depends on the type and stage of the cancer. The most common types of cancer treatment are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. They can be used independently or as a combination depending on requirement. You can access our About Cancer section to understand cancer treatment better.

Apart from undergoing regular age-appropriate screening tests, there is a major role you can play in the detection process. You need to watch out for any signs and symptoms of cancer. In order to do this you must do two things:

• Know your body and what is normal for you - Consult a physician if you identify anything that seems abnormal and if the symptom persists for more than 3 weeks
• Spend time understanding the signs and symptoms of common cancers – You will then not ignore any symptom that might prove dangerous in the long run

Cancer treatment is available in most leading hospitals in Tier I and Tier II cities across the country. But proper research should be done before choosing one for treatment. Do take advice, talk to friends and family and for any assistance and queries call us on our contact details given below.

Making decisions about your cancer treatment can be very hard. Once you have discussed treatment options with your doctor, you may want to talk them over with your family or friends. Talking it over can help you sort out what option is right for you. Sometimes, your treatment might be aimed at alleviating or controlling symptoms rather than curing cancer.

Specific details of the case need to be understood before an amount can be arrived upon. Each cancer case is different as details vary depending on the stage and type of cancer. We will be able to provide you with a range of overall cost once we understand case specifics.

Some of the basic questions you should ask your doctor are:

• What are my treatment options?
• What is the expected timeline for treatment?
• Do I have to be hospitalized?
• What are the short term and long term side effects, diet restrictions and will the treatment affect my fertility? Questions differ for each individual based on the type of cancer they are suffering from. For more queries, please contact us on the contact details given below.

All cancers begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life. Each cell in our body has a certain job to do. Normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. However, sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. When this happens, cells do not die when they should and new cells form when the body does not need them. These extra cells may form a mass of tissue called a tumour. Cancer is therefore not just one disease but a group of diseases characterised by abnormal cells dividing without control.

We do not know all the risks and causes of cancer and many times the exact reason might be difficult to pinpoint. However, there are a number of chemical, physical and biological agents that have been shown to trigger the mistakes in the cell blueprint (DNA) that cause cancer. These are called carcinogens and include tobacco, ultraviolet radiation and asbestos among others. There are also certain unavoidable reasons that could cause cancer like age, family history, hormones and viruses.

Some common signs and symptoms of cancer can be remembered using the acronym CAUTION.

• C - Change in bowel or bladder habits
• A - A sore that does not heal
• U - Unusual bleeding or discharge
• T - Thickening or lump in breast or any part of body
• I - Indigestion or difficulty swallowing
• O - Obvious change in a wart or mole
• N - Nagging cough or hoarseness If any of these above mentioned signs prevail for more than 3 weeks, get yourself tested. Remember having these symptoms does not mean you have cancer, but ignoring the symptoms is not wise.

Cancer is not contagious. There is no reason to avoid people with cancer, and in fact they will need your support and understanding. Some cancer causing agents like the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a virus that causes 90% of cervical cancers, is contagious and is transmitted via sexual activity. However, cervical cancer itself is not contagious. Some cancer genes are hereditary and so several family members may have the same or related types of cancer. This is due to an inherited genetic disorder, not spending time together.

With our current knowledge, we believe that at least one in three cancer cases can be prevented. Smoking, sun exposure, poor diet, alcohol consumption and inadequate physical activity are significant risk factors, which can be modified to lower your risk. Prophylactic vaccines like the HPV Vaccine can also help prevent cancers like cervical cancer.

Being detected with cancer doesn’t mean end of life as you know it. Increasingly more and more cancers are curable now. The earlier you detect cancer, by and large the greater your chances of surviving the disease.

Palliative care is a branch of medicine that focuses on symptom relief and comfort. It is designed to improve the quality of life of patients and their families, by providing pain and symptom relief, spiritual and psychosocial support from diagnosis to the end of life and bereavement.

Finishing cancer treatment can cause mixed feelings. For some it may be a time of celebration and relief that treatment has ended while others could feel anxiety that the cancer could come back. People might also feel anxious as they see their doctors less often. Others might be concerned about returning to work and family life and about how they would cope with the changes to their health. These feelings are all normal and part of the process of dealing with life after cancer. But the message to take away is that a happy and prosperous life is possible after cancer. Many cancer patients have moved on to lead normal lives leaving the disease behind.