Cancer Treatment in India for Bangladesh Patients

Cancer is a growing burden in Bangladesh, and the specialist capacity to treat it — trained oncologists, radiotherapy machines, and advanced diagnostic and molecular testing — remains limited relative to the population. Many patients face long waiting times, and some treatments and biomarker tests that guide modern therapy are not always available locally. Faced with this, families increasingly look across the border, and India has long been the natural first choice.

The reasons are consistent: close proximity, immediate access to advanced diagnostics and drug therapy, internationally trained specialists, shorter waiting times, and treatment costs that are far lower than in Western or Gulf hospitals — while using the same internationally approved drugs and protocols. Cultural and dietary familiarity, and the ease of travel from Dhaka, make the experience less daunting for patients and their families. For those funding treatment themselves, the affordability of Indian care can decide whether a full course is completed rather than cut short.

Indian OncoCare is the specialist medical-oncology practice of Dr. Harish Kancharla, delivered through the day-care and inpatient facilities at Yashoda Hospitals, Somajiguda — one of Hyderabad's largest tertiary cancer centres. Medical oncology is the branch of cancer care that treats cancer with medicines, as distinct from surgery and radiation. Your drug treatment is planned and reviewed by one consultant throughout, rather than passed between hands, while surgery and radiation are coordinated with the hospital's surgical and radiation-oncology teams where needed.

The core treatments are all available and matched to your specific diagnosis:

• Chemotherapy — for solid tumours and blood cancers, delivered as day-care chemotherapy wherever possible.
• Immunotherapy — checkpoint inhibitors and antibody therapy, guided by biomarker testing.
• Targeted therapy — mutation-matched tablets and infusions selected from molecular testing.
• Hormonal therapy — for hormone-sensitive breast and prostate cancers.

Treatment choice is driven by your tumour's biology, using precision medicine, molecular oncology and, where tissue is limited, liquid biopsy — the same standard of testing used in leading centres worldwide. This matters especially for patients who arrive with a diagnosis but without the biomarker or mutation testing that decides whether a targeted or immunotherapy option applies.

Dr. Kancharla plans and supervises treatment across the common solid tumours and blood cancers, including:

• Breast, lung, colorectal, ovarian, stomach, liver, pancreatic and head & neck cancers
• Blood cancers — leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, including bone marrow (stem cell) transplant

If you are unsure which service applies to you, our cancer services overview and the patient journey explain how care is organised from first enquiry to follow-up.

For Bangladeshi patients, a great deal can be achieved before any travel. A second opinion is one of the most common reasons families approach us, and it is best done online first. Dr. Kancharla reviews your reports over video, confirms the diagnosis and stage, checks that biomarker and mutation testing is complete, and advises whether a targeted or immunotherapy option may apply that has not yet been considered. Our guide on what to send for a cancer second opinion sets out exactly which reports, scans and pathology blocks make the review genuinely useful.

An online review has value even before any decision to travel — it can confirm that a plan advised at home is complete, identify a missing test that changes the treatment, or reassure you that the right path is already being followed. Where treatment does need to be given in Hyderabad, it is planned around your travel, and follow-up can continue online in coordination with your doctor at home.

The pathway is designed so that the difficult decisions are made before you leave home:

1. Send your reports. Share whatever you have — biopsy/histopathology report, any immunohistochemistry (IHC) or molecular report, recent scans (CT, PET-CT, MRI) and blood tests — through the enquiry form or on WhatsApp.

2. Online consultation. Dr. Kancharla reviews your file over video, confirms the diagnosis and stage, identifies any missing tests, and explains the realistic goal of treatment honestly.

3. Written plan and estimate. You receive a clear treatment plan and an indicative cost estimate, so you can arrange funds and travel with confidence.

4. Invitation and visa. Once you decide to proceed, the hospital issues the invitation letter you need for your Indian medical visa application.

5. Treatment in Hyderabad, follow-up from home. Cycles are scheduled around your travel where possible, and follow-up can continue online after you return home. If your plan involves drug therapy, our guide on what to expect during your first chemotherapy cycle walks through a treatment day step by step.

Bangladeshi patients travel to India on an Indian Medical Visa (MED), with accompanying caregivers on the Medical Attendant (MED-X) visa. A few points are specific to Bangladesh and worth knowing:

• Bangladeshi nationals cannot use the e-Visa / e-Medical Visa system. Applications are made in person through an Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Khulna or another regional centre.
• Under the India–Bangladesh bilateral arrangement, the Indian government visa fee is waived for Bangladeshi nationals; IVAC service charges still apply.
• Bangladeshi patients may travel with up to three medical attendants, more than the usual limit of two — each applying at IVAC at the same time as the patient.

For the application you will generally need a passport valid for at least six months with two blank pages, the completed form from the official Indian visa portal, a referral letter from a registered doctor in Bangladesh, an invitation / appointment letter from the treating hospital in India (which we provide once your plan is agreed), recent photographs, and your medical reports.

Always confirm current requirements, appointments and fees on IVAC Bangladesh and the official Indian Visa Online portal before applying, and begin the process a couple of weeks ahead of your intended travel. Dhaka connects to Hyderabad by air, usually with a single stopover, and a longer stay may require registration with the local FRRO office.

There is no single price for cancer treatment — it depends on the cancer type, stage, the drugs used, the number of cycles, and whether surgery, radiation or a transplant is involved. What is consistent is that treatment in India costs far less than equivalent care in Western or Gulf hospitals, while using the same internationally approved drugs and protocols — and Indian-made biosimilars have brought the cost of several modern immunotherapy and targeted drugs down substantially in recent years.

Rather than a headline figure, you receive a personalised estimate after your reports are reviewed. For context, read the cost of cancer treatment in India and the cost of immunotherapy, CAR-T and ADCs. Our financial guidance page explains estimates, staged payments and how to plan funding from Bangladesh.

Travelling for cancer treatment is demanding for the whole family, and practical support matters as much as the medicine. Our international patients service helps with report review, estimates and hospital coordination, while our patient support and patient resources sections help you prepare for each stage. Caregivers travelling with you will find our caregiver guide useful, and common questions are answered in our FAQ and on the blog.

Q1. Can Bangladeshi patients get cancer treatment in India?
Yes — routinely. Bangladesh is one of the largest sources of medical travel to India, and cancer care is among the most common reasons. You begin with an online review of your reports, and travel only once a clear plan and estimate are in place.

Q2. Do I have to travel just to get an opinion?
No. Your first consultation is online. Dr. Kancharla reviews your reports over video, so you can understand your options and likely costs from home before deciding whether to travel.

Q3. How do I get the medical visa?
Bangladeshi nationals apply in person through an Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) — not online — as they are not eligible for the e-Medical Visa. You will need a referral from a doctor in Bangladesh and an invitation letter from the treating hospital, which we provide once your plan is agreed. The Indian government visa fee is waived for Bangladeshi nationals.

Q4. How many family members can travel with me?
Bangladeshi patients may travel with up to three medical attendants — more than the usual limit — each applying at IVAC at the same time as the patient.

Q5. What is medical oncology?
It is the treatment of cancer with medicines — chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy and hormonal therapy — as opposed to surgery or radiation. A medical oncologist plans and supervises this drug treatment.

Q6. How much will treatment cost?
There is no single figure — it depends on the cancer, stage and drugs used. Costs are generally far lower than in Western or Gulf hospitals, and you receive a personalised estimate after your reports are reviewed.

Q7. Can my treatment continue after I return to Bangladesh?
Yes. Care is planned to work alongside your local oncologist where possible, and follow-up can continue through online review after you return home.

Q8. Who will supervise my treatment?
Dr. Harish Kancharla, DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS Delhi), MD (Internal Medicine, PGIMER Chandigarh), Senior Consultant – Medical Oncology & Hemato-Oncology at Yashoda Hospitals, Somajiguda, plans and reviews your treatment personally.

Related reading: Chemotherapy · Immunotherapy · Targeted Therapy · Hormonal Therapy · International Patients · Cancer Second Opinion in Hyderabad · Your First Chemotherapy Cycle · Cost of Cancer Treatment in India · Patient Support · Blog

Further reading: World Health Organization — Cancer · National Cancer Institute — Cancer Treatment · American Cancer Society — About Cancer · Union for International Cancer Control — UICC · IVAC Bangladesh · Indian Visa Online

Medically reviewed by Dr. Harish Kancharla, DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS Delhi), MD (Internal Medicine, PGIMER Chandigarh), Senior Consultant – Medical Oncology & Hemato-Oncology, Yashoda Hospitals, Somajiguda, Hyderabad. Telangana State Medical Council Registration No. 77186.

Last reviewed: August 2026.

This page is general information for international patients about cancer treatment in India and is not a substitute for personal medical advice. Visa requirements can change — confirm current rules with the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Bangladesh before travelling. Treatment decisions must be made with a qualified oncologist who has reviewed your reports.