Implanted ports for improving life of cancer patients

Use of implanted ports, a medical device used in cancer care, is being advocated to improve the quality of a patient's life by making administration of chemotherapy medicines simpler.
With the technology of implanted ports aimed at increasing the ease of patients fast developing, such ports are being seen to minimise impact of chemotherapy.
"Ports make chemotherapy much easier and less painful for the patients by minimising the impact of the drugs on the patient's veins and increase the ease of drug administration," Max Cancer Centre Head of Breast Oncology Geeta Kadayaprath told PTI.
A port is implanted into the patient's body in a short surgical procedure and then the chemotherapy drugs are given through the port.

"The technology of implanted ports is aimed at increasing the ease of the patients and simplifying cancer care where the chemotherapy treatment requires frequent and long term access to the bloodstream for medication delivery, blood withdrawals, parenteral nutrition and long term antibiotics," Kadayaprath said.
Otherwise frequent needle pricks for cancer medications can damage the veins in the arm of the patients, she added.
A implanted port can be used for 2,000 to 3,000 pricks, Kadayaprath said.
On an average the price of an implanted port is between Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000.