Breast cancer treatment abroad

According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among women. Every year in the world, breast cancer is registered in every 12 women – over 2.2 million cases. A few decades ago, the disease mainly occurred in older women. Recently, breast cancer has become “younger”. The pathology is already detected in young girls.

With the timely diagnosis of the disease and proper treatment of breast cancer abroad, 99% of women have a chance to be completely cured. The main reason why patients choose breast cancer treatment abroad is the lack of quality medical care in their countries.

Treatment of breast cancer abroad provides for the availability of modern diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, effective drugs, and a multidisciplinary approach to the preparation of a treatment plan. One of the main reasons why people go abroad for breast cancer treatment is the availability of a wide range of medical technologies.

Oncologists in Israel, Turkey, Spain, and India have achieved particular success in the treatment of breast cancer. In these countries, the highest survival rate of patients after the therapy has been recorded. Breast cancer treatment abroad is the best option for many reasons:

1. Foreign surgeons prefer organ-preserving low-traumatic operations. The final decision to perform a mastectomy is made based on the stage of the disease.
2. The advanced equipment of foreign hospitals allows the use of accurate diagnostic methods. For example, PET-CT, ultrasound-guided vacuum biopsy. With its help, simultaneous tissue sampling and tumor removal up to 3 cm are carried out.
3. In Israel and Turkey, one-stage plastic surgery is widespread. Doctors have the opportunity to simultaneously perform surgical treatment and breast reconstruction.
4. Foreign surgeons carry out the complete removal of malignant cells to exclude recurrence.
5. High-precision radiotherapy units perfectly adjust the radiation beam to the size of the tumor. This minimizes the negative impact on healthy tissue.
6. Availability of effective drugs for targeted, immune, and hormonal therapy of the latest generation, which are not available in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
7. Many foreign cancer centers carry out research work in the field of oncopathology treatment. Patients of these clinics have the opportunity to be the first to receive effective treatment for breast cancer abroad.

Additionally, you can take a course of rehabilitation according to an individual scheme. It is carried out by foreign specialists to consolidate the result of breast cancer treatment abroad. This allows women to recover quickly and reduces the risk of relapse.

Accurate diagnostics and a multidisciplinary approach allow foreign oncologists to:

• choose an effective protocol for breast cancer therapy;
• save breasts;
• enable the patient to return to a full life.

With a properly designed scheme for the treatment of breast cancer abroad, the outcome for patients is favorable. A study by the American Cancer Society showed that the 5-year survival rate for breast cancer treated abroad is:

•  99% – at stages 0 and 1;
•  86% – at stages 2 and 3;
•  27% – at 4 stages.

According to the same studies, 90% of patients with malignant breast tumors live over 5 years without recurrence. At the 4th stage of breast cancer, life can be extended by 2 times with the help of innovative drugs and modern methods of treating breast cancer abroad. The highest results of breast cancer treatment abroad are demonstrated by Israeli hospitals, whose doctors often save patients with the most advanced forms of breast cancer.

Breast cancer treatment abroad includes a combination of different methods:

1. Surgical treatment of breast cancer abroad with partial or complete removal of the organ.
2. Drug therapy: which may include:

• chemotherapy;
• targeted therapy;
• immune therapy;
• hormone therapy.

3. Radiation therapy.

The best foreign clinics use innovative methods of therapy. They are the main reason why patients choose to receive breast cancer treatment abroad.

The selection of the optimal method or a set of methods depends on many factors, including:

• stage of the disease;
• localization and rate of tumor growth;
• the presence of metastases;
• condition of surrounding tissues;
• age;
• hormonal background;
• general condition;
• the presence of concomitant diseases in women.

Drugs for chemotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer abroad are different from those used in countries with underdeveloped medicine. These are gentle drugs that have a minimal risk of side effects. To prevent hair loss, a special cooling helmet is used.

If the treatment of breast cancer abroad without surgery is ineffective, doctors prescribe surgical treatment. This is the main method of treatment for breast cancer. There are 2 types of operations:

1. Lumpectomy is an organ-preserving operation, during which the surgeon removes the affected area with a small amount of adjacent healthy tissue. In this case, the patient’s breast is preserved. After a lumpectomy, radiation therapy is performed to destroy the remaining malignant cells.
2. Mastectomy is a complete removal of the breast. Foreign surgeons resort to mastectomy only with large tumor sizes and high risks of recurrence. Simultaneously with the mammary gland, the nearest lymph nodes are removed. Despite the radical nature of the procedure, the risk of recurrence after it is lower than after a lumpectomy.

In foreign centers, robotic breast surgery is performed using the Da Vinci apparatus. This significantly increases the success of the procedure and reduces the recovery period.

If it is necessary to perform a mastectomy abroad, the patient undergoes a reconstruction of the gland using high-quality implants. For example, in the Helena clinic in Finland.

Radiotherapy is used after breast surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence (adjuvant radiation therapy). Doctors sometimes prescribe radiation before surgery to shrink the tumor (neoadjuvant radiation therapy) and in the later stages of the disease as a palliative measure.

The most common methods:

1. External radiation therapy, in which the entire breast or part of it is irradiated.
2. Internal radiation therapy (brachytherapy). This is directed contact irradiation, which is carried out using radioactive microcapsules. They are introduced into the gland with a thin catheter.
3. Accelerated partial radiation therapy lasting several days.

Clinics for the treatment of breast cancer abroad are equipped with modern devices for gentle radiation therapy, including:

1. IGRT system for irradiation under the control of MRI, CT, and ultrasound. This allows to carry out the procedure as accurately as possible.
2. The IMRT system allows to adjust the intensity of the beams. This greatly reduces the strain on the heart and lungs.
3. The SBRT system provides the most gentle radiation therapy.

Before choosing a clinic for the treatment of breast cancer abroad, patients are advised to learn about modern radiotherapy units. For questions related to equipment and types of treatment for breast cancer abroad, you can contact the coordinators-doctors of Experts Medical.

The latest developments of modern medicine in the treatment of breast cancer abroad with proven effectiveness are:

1. Intraoperative IORT therapy is a single irradiation on the Intrabeam device. It is performed immediately after the tumor is removed for 20 minutes. The technique allows to point the beams to the remaining malignant cells, minimizing the likelihood of recurrence.
2. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies that are programmed to recognize cancer cells. Injected antibodies stimulate the immune system to fight cancer. This is a very effective type of therapy that is not available in all hospitals. It is indicated in the last stages and in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive type of the disease. Clinics Liv Hospital and Medipol in Istanbul use about 100 drugs for the latest generation of immunotherapy. In the countries of Central Asia and Eastern Europe, no more than 25 are used.
3. Targeted therapy. This is a treatment of breast cancer with drugs directed against malignant cells. Monoclonal antibodies and biologically active substances are used. This therapy is prescribed for HER2-positive cancer.
4. Removal of malignant tumors in the early stages by freezing with a solution of liquid nitrogen.
5. Cancer vaccine based on dendritic cells. For its implementation, each patient is individually grown dendritic cells. After being introduced into the body, they activate the immune system. This enhances the effectiveness of other methods. Therapy with dendritic cells is prescribed for inoperable forms, in case of unsuccessful chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Doctors record improvement in 60% of patients. This type of treatment is approved and used in some centers in Spain and Germany, for example, in the Immuno-Oncological Center IOZK in Cologne.
6. Proton therapy. This is the most efficient method of irradiation. With breast cancer, it is effective in 97%. A 2-fold reduction in the risks of recurrence and side effects is recorded compared to conventional radiotherapy.

Each type of therapy has its own characteristics, advantages, and a strict list of indications. Therefore, the treatment of breast cancer abroad is carried out according to an individual scheme for each woman.

Modern medicine has other effective ways to treat breast cancer abroad. Among them:

1. Ultrasound ablation (MRI-HIFU) – tumor removal at stages I-II, tumor reduction at stages III-IV using high-intensity focused ultrasound under MRI control. More than 59% of patients with early stages managed to completely get rid of the cancer and achieve a stable remission with this method without surgery.
2. Oxygen therapy. The destruction of tumor cells is carried out with the help of liquid oxygen, which is delivered to the blood. It is available at the Hadassah Clinic in Israel.

Many clinics have their own research centers and are partners with leading universities. This allows doctors to put into practice effective innovative technologies. For example, electromagnetic detection of cells prone to degeneration at the border of the removed tumor and healthy tissue.

In the case of breast cancer treatment abroad, it is impossible to determine in advance how much the treatment will cost. The price is formed from the following indicators:

1. Methods of diagnosis and treatment. Complex innovative methods cost more. Higher cost for new drugs for targeted and chemotherapy.
2. The level of professionalism of the doctor. Treatment by a world-famous professor cannot be cheap.
3. The need for additional surgical procedures. For example, in breast plastic surgery.
4. Availability of a rehabilitation base.
5. Level of comfort in the clinic.
6. The most affordable cost of breast cancer treatment abroad in hospitals in Turkey. In Israeli hospitals, prices are 20% lower than in European ones.

The best prevention of breast cancer is regular diagnosis. This allows to identify the disease at an early stage, minimize the risk of development, and conduct sparing therapy.

According to the American Cancer Association, hereditary (genetically determined) breast cancer accounts for 10% of all cases. It’s about gene mutations BRCA1 and BRCA2 are used.

If the average probability of getting breast cancer is 5.6%, then in women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, the chances increase to 70%. Mutations can be inherited from the mother. Particular attention should be paid to women whose relatives had:

• breast cancer up to 45 years;
• repeated breast cancer in one person;
• ovarian cancer;
• two or more cases of breast cancer in relatives, at least one of whom was diagnosed before the age of 50.

In these cases, a consultation with a geneticist, a genetic oncotest, and regular preventive screening is indicated.

Clinics abroad are equipped with modern equipment for accurate detection of neoplasms in the breast, including the zero stage. In addition, anti-cancer screenings have been developed, which include tests for different groups of patients.

According to reviews of clients of Experts Medical, the best clinics for breast check-ups are located in the resort cities of Turkey, Spain, and Israel. Therefore, patients of Experts Medical recommend combining rest with high-quality breast cancer diagnostics, especially in the presence of a genetic predisposition.

Experts Medical, based on patient feedback on breast cancer treatment abroad, made the TOP-5 hospitals:

1. Sourasky Clinic in Tel Aviv is one of the best hospitals for the treatment of breast cancer in Israel. It successfully treats oncological diseases at all stages. This includes advanced intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), computerized imaging of the tumor, and simulation of the irradiation process. The leading specialist is Prof. Moshe Inbar, an oncologist with over 45 years of experience. The doctor has about 6,000 cured patients, more than 3,000 successful radiation therapies, and 2,000 organ-preserving surgeries. The doctor is the author of a unique complex technology for the treatment of breast cancer.

2. Teknon Medical Center in Barcelona (Spain). The clinic is equipped with one of the most powerful laboratories in Europe. Modern operating equipment allows surgeons to perform 24,000 minimally invasive tumor removal procedures annually under the control of intraoperative ultrasound. According to Teknon, more than 80% of women retain their breasts. For women of childbearing age, it is possible to freeze eggs and give birth to a healthy child in the future.
3. Assuta Private Hospital in Tel Aviv is the leader in high-precision surgery in Israel and ranks 2nd in the world in terms of cancer patient survival. The hospital has the only PET-MRI facility in the country. This is the most accurate and safe method for the study of cancer today. According to the clinic, the treatment of breast cancer in the early stages has a 100% success rate. To exclude the possibility of recurrence or metastasis of breast cancer, Oncotype DX testing is performed.
4. Memorial Clinic in Istanbul. It has a linear accelerator for radiation therapy TrueBeamSTx. The hospital is recognized as a national leader in the field of instrumental diagnostics. Here, surgeons perform breast reconstruction in parallel with therapy.
5. BLK Dr. Kapoor Clinic in New Delhi is the No.1 hospital in India for the treatment of all cancers, including breast cancer. Here, additional diagnostics of breast cancer is carried out using combined PET-CT imaging. It can determine and confirm the localization of the tumor with an accuracy of 100%.

The Experts Medical website presents the best clinics that provide successful treatment of breast cancer abroad. For complete information, please contact the coordinators of Experts Medical.

Breast treatment abroad is an important process, the organization of which is best entrusted to a reliable company Experts Medical. Doctors-coordinators will consult free of charge on all issues related to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in the best medical centers.

By contacting the company, the patient receives the following assistance:

• choosing a clinic and an attending physician with whom she will arrange a preliminary online consultation;
• preparation of medical documentation, which the company’s employees will send to the clinic for examination by a doctor;
• booking air tickets and hotel rooms;
• transfer.

With the support of Experts Medical, breast cancer treatment abroad will be carried out according to the highest international standards.