Kathmandu
Cancer Center
Kathmandu
Cancer Center
A brain tumour diagnosis is terrifying. Before anything else, here is what you need to know: treatment is available in Nepal, at KCC, in Nepali — with the same technology used in India. NHIF insurance is accepted.
KCC — what to expect
All consultations in Nepali
NHIF insurance accepted
Radiation for all major brain tumour types
Treatment for children — under anaesthesia
Post-surgical RT from any hospital, anywhere
Tumour Board review for every case
Second opinion — no commitment required
KCC uses the same radiation technology available in Delhi and Mumbai. The difference is you're home, in your language, with your family — and NHIF covers it.
Your oncologist is Nepali. Your diagnosis, your treatment plan, your questions — all in Nepali. No translator needed, no important words lost.
WhatsApp your scan or pathology report to 9818-226237. Our team responds within 24 hours with a clear picture of what's possible.
Before the medical details, before the treatment plan — these are the questions that matter most to most people.
Yes. Brain tumours are not all the same. Some are treated with radiation alone. Some need chemotherapy. Some need both. Some need no surgery at all. KCC has treated every major brain tumour type — glioma, medulloblastoma, meningioma, CNS lymphoma, brain metastases, pituitary tumour. The answer to this question is almost always: yes, something can be done.
For radiation and most chemotherapy — no. KCC has the same technology used in major Indian cancer centres. The machine that delivers radiation (a medical linear accelerator) is identical. The planning software is the same. The treatment protocols follow the same international guidelines. Going to India for RT alone costs 40–60% more and you lose NHIF coverage.
Send your scan and pathology report to KCC on WhatsApp — 9818-226237. You will hear back within 24 hours. There is no obligation, no fee for the initial review. Most families wait too long because they don't know where to start. This is where to start.
KCC specialises in radiation and chemotherapy for brain tumours. Brain surgery is not performed here — but most brain tumour treatment after surgery, and many tumours that don't need surgery at all, are treated at KCC.
The most common primary brain tumour. After surgery — or sometimes without it — radiation combined with chemotherapy is the standard treatment. KCC follows international protocols and tests the tumour's biology to personalise treatment.
A type of lymphoma confined to the brain or spinal cord. Treated with chemotherapy — no surgery needed. KCC provides the complete treatment pathway. Patients are often surprised to learn this can be treated without an operation.
Most common in children. After surgery, radiation to the whole brain and spine — called Craniospinal Irradiation — is essential. This is one of the most technically demanding treatments in oncology. KCC is one of very few centres in Nepal that can do it.
When cancer from another part of the body — breast, lung, kidney — spreads to the brain. Radiation to the whole brain, or precisely targeted radiation to specific spots, depending on how many there are and where they are.
Tumours arising from the lining of the brain. Many can be watched. Some need radiation — especially those in locations where surgery would be risky, or where the tumour has come back after a previous operation. Radiation alone can control many meningiomas for years.
Tumours at the base of the brain near the optic nerves. Often managed with surgery first. Radiation is used when surgery leaves tumour behind, or when the tumour grows back. Precise radiation avoids damaging the optic nerves and the normal pituitary gland.
Tumours arising from the lining of the brain's fluid chambers. Radiation after surgery is standard — and in some cases, radiation to the whole brain and spine is needed. Common in both adults and children.
Craniopharyngioma, germinoma, optic pathway glioma, PNET, choroid plexus tumours — each has its own treatment approach. KCC's Tumour Board reviews every case individually and builds a plan specific to that patient.
That's okay. WhatsApp your MRI and pathology report to the KCC team. If you only have a scan and haven't had a biopsy yet, that's fine too. Our oncologist will review and explain what you're dealing with, in plain Nepali.
The most common journey: surgery happens at a hospital in Kathmandu — TUTH, Norvic, Grande — or in India at AIIMS, Tata, Apollo, RGCI. Then comes radiation. That part happens here, at KCC.
Most brain tumours need radiation to start within four to six weeks of surgery. Waiting longer reduces how well treatment works. If surgery is recent, don't wait — contact KCC now.
Time matters after brain surgery. Radiation for glioblastoma and other aggressive tumours should start within four to six weeks of the operation. If surgery was recent, contact KCC this week — not next month.
Radiation requires lying completely still for up to thirty minutes while a machine moves around you. For a young child, this is simply not possible — not because they're being difficult, but because no child that age should be expected to do that.
KCC provides general anaesthesia for every radiation session. Your child goes to sleep, receives the treatment safely and precisely, and wakes up. This happens for every session — for the full course of treatment, which can be five or six weeks long.
Most families are told this requires going to India. It does not. KCC has built this service specifically so that children with brain tumours do not have to leave Nepal for treatment.
Two patients can both have a "glioma" and receive completely different treatments — because the tumour's internal biology tells us how aggressive it is and which medicines will work. KCC tests for these markers and uses the results to personalise treatment.
These are reported on your pathology result. Here is what they mean and why they matter.
If your pathology report mentions IDH, MGMT, or 1p/19q — bring it to KCC. These results determine the treatment plan. If the report does not mention them, KCC can arrange the tests. Treatment without these markers means treating without complete information.
Primary CNS Lymphoma is a type of lymphoma that starts in the brain — not a brain tumour in the usual sense, but a lymphoma that happened to grow there. The critical difference: it does not need surgery. Chemotherapy is the treatment.
This matters because many families are told the only option is to go to a major centre in India for this. KCC provides the complete treatment pathway here.
Important: If you have been prescribed steroids for a brain lesion that has not been biopsied yet — please speak to an oncologist before starting them. Steroids can temporarily shrink CNS Lymphoma in a way that makes diagnosis harder. This is worth a quick phone call before taking the first dose.
No mystery, no waiting in the dark. Here is the exact sequence.
WhatsApp your scan or report to 9818-226237. Or call. There is no wrong way to start.
An oncologist reviews your reports and contacts you to arrange a consultation.
Full discussion in Nepali. What the diagnosis means. What the options are. What we recommend and why.
Your case is reviewed by radiation, medical oncology, radiology, and pathology together. A joint plan is agreed.
Radiation planning, then treatment — Monday to Friday, usually three to six weeks. NHIF active from day one.
Many patients travel from Pokhara, Chitwan, Dhangadhi, and other parts of Nepal. Contact KCC before travelling — the team will confirm what is needed for your first visit so the trip is not wasted.
Not at all. "Inoperable" means surgery is not the right approach — it does not mean untreatable. Many brain tumours are managed without surgery. Radiation can shrink and control tumours that a surgeon cannot safely remove. Chemotherapy works on certain types, like CNS Lymphoma, without any operation.
Send the scan and any reports to KCC. The oncologist will review and tell you clearly what options exist. This review costs nothing and takes 24 hours.
KCC does not have Gamma Knife or CyberKnife. These are specific brands of equipment for very short, high-dose single-session treatment — mainly for small, deep tumours.
What KCC does have is IMRT and VMAT — precision radiation delivered over several weeks in smaller daily doses. For most brain tumours, this fractionated approach is equally effective and often preferable, because it is gentler on normal brain tissue. Your KCC oncologist can tell you honestly whether your specific case would benefit from the single-session approach, and where to access it if so.
This is one of the most common and most important fears. The honest answer depends on the type of radiation, the location, and the dose.
Modern precision radiation — IMRT — specifically shapes the dose to avoid the parts of the brain that control memory and cognition wherever possible. This is one of the main reasons the older, less precise techniques have been replaced. Side effects still exist but are substantially reduced with modern planning.
Whole-brain radiation — used for brain metastases — carries a higher risk of cognitive effects, and this is always discussed with families before treatment. For focal tumours, the risk is much lower.
Your oncologist at KCC will explain specifically what to expect for your husband's situation — before treatment starts, not after.
Two weeks is not late — contact KCC immediately. Most brain tumour protocols allow four to six weeks between surgery and the start of radiation. Two weeks gone means two to four weeks remaining — enough time to do this properly.
WhatsApp the surgical report, the pathology report (especially if it includes IDH and MGMT markers), and the most recent MRI to 9818-226237 today. The KCC team will confirm a timeline within 24 hours.
Radiation itself is painless. You lie still, the machine rotates around you, and you feel nothing during the treatment. Each session typically takes fifteen to thirty minutes in the treatment room — much of that is positioning rather than the actual radiation delivery.
A mask is made for your head before treatment starts — it holds your head in exactly the right position for every session. This can feel slightly snug but is not painful. The team prepares you fully for this before your first session.
Side effects from radiation build up over the course of treatment — fatigue, and sometimes hair loss in the treated area — but these are managed with the team throughout.
Treatment runs Monday to Friday, with weekends off. The number of weeks depends on the tumour type:
Each daily visit takes about thirty to forty-five minutes total, including getting to the treatment room, positioning, and the actual treatment. Patients drive or are brought in each morning and go home the same day.
These are markers that tell us what the tumour is made of at a molecular level — and more importantly, how it will respond to treatment.
IDH mutation generally means the tumour is slower-growing and more treatable — a better result than IDH-wildtype. MGMT methylation means the standard chemotherapy drug is more likely to work. Together these two results significantly shape the treatment plan KCC will recommend.
If your report does not include these markers, KCC can arrange them. Treating a glioma without knowing these results means treating without the full picture.
KCC does not perform brain surgery — tumour removal, biopsy, or shunt operations. These require a neurosurgical team. In Kathmandu, neurosurgery is available at TUTH, Norvic, Grande, and other centres. KCC works alongside these teams.
KCC also does not offer Gamma Knife or CyberKnife radiosurgery. For some very specific situations — small, deep tumours requiring single-session treatment — this may be better accessed elsewhere, and KCC will advise you honestly if that applies to your case.
For the vast majority of brain tumour patients — radiation, chemotherapy, post-surgical care, molecular diagnosis, CNS lymphoma, children's RT under anaesthesia — KCC is a complete centre. You should not need to go to India for these.
मस्तिष्क ट्युमरको निदान सुन्नु त्रासदायक हुन्छ। तर एउटा कुरा जान्नुस् — उपचारका लागि भारत जानु आवश्यक छैन। KCC मा IMRT Radiation, बालबालिकाका लागि Anaesthesia मा उपचार, र CNS Lymphoma को पूर्ण उपचार नेपालमै उपलब्ध छ। सबै परामर्श नेपाली भाषामा हुन्छ। NHIF बीमा स्वीकार्य छ। तपाईंको report WhatsApp मा पठाउनुस् — हाम्रो team २४ घन्टाभित्र जवाफ दिन्छ।
After that, KCC walks with you. Send your scan or report, ask your question, or simply call. There is no wrong way to start — and no question too basic. Our team is Nepali, our consultations are in Nepali, and we understand what this moment feels like for your family.