Where is the best place to get cancer treatment? There are many options. You can go to the nearest hospital where you live. Or you can go abroad, to one of the best clinics in the world. Obviously, in the second case, the results of the treatment will be much better. Why is that? Because the leading cancer centers in Europe use the latest techniques and medicines. Doctors have modern equipment that allows them to perform high-tech procedures. In addition, the best cancer specialists in the world work in developed countries.
What innovations are European doctors using
Western Europe uses the latest drugs and methods to treat cancer. As a result, doctors achieve excellent results at every stage, even at the advanced stages. Here are just a few of the techniques available abroad.
Proton therapy. An innovative type of irradiating malignant tumors that damages cancer cells but has almost no effect on healthy tissue. It can even be used to treat tumors in the brain stem, head and neck neoplasms, and safely treat cancer in children.
Radiosurgery and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). The techniques allow for very precise irradiation of tumors with high doses of radiation. Instead of the standard 1.5-2 months, a course of radiation can be completed in one or more sessions.
Chemoembolization and radioembolization. This is a minimally invasive endovascular procedure in which tiny spheres containing chemopreparations or radioactive substances are introduced into the vessels feeding the tumor. It is most commonly used to suppress metastases or primary tumors in the liver, but specialized cancer clinics in Germany have begun to use these methods for many other localizations of neoplasms: lung, cervix, thyroid, etc.
Radiotargeted therapy. For example, this is PSMA therapy for metastatic prostate cancer. A drug consisting of two molecules is injected into the body. One molecule attaches only to cancer cells without accumulating in healthy tissue, and the other is a radioactive substance that destroys those cells.
Dendritic cell vaccines. A promising immunotherapy approach for stage 4 cancer. Monocytes are harvested from the patient, dendritic cells are cultured from them, treated with tumor antigens and injected back into the body. In the lymphoid tissues, the dendritic cells train T-cells by showing them antigens and thus indicating targets for attack.
HIPEC. This is flushing of the peritoneum with a heated solution of cytostatic drugs after surgery to remove malignant tumors. HIPEC destroys remaining cancer cells to reduce the risk of recurrence. Combined with cytoreductive surgery, it provides a five-year patient survival rate of up to 60%, even in the advanced stages of cancer.
All these methods and many more are available in cancer hospitals in Europe. Not only locals, but also medical tourists are treated there. If you are diagnosed with cancer, you can travel abroad to benefit from the services of the best doctors in the world and be treated with innovative methods.
Why cancer treatment in Europe is safer
In the 21st century, oncology has evolved not only in terms of efficiency, but also in terms of safety. Patients in European hospitals are now much less likely to experience serious complications and disability.
These are some of the reasons why patients in Europe have a better quality of life and recover faster from cancer treatment.
Minimally invasive surgery. More and more tumors can be removed through short incisions. In Europe, laparoscopy and thoracoscopy (minimally invasive abdominal and thoracic surgery) are used, and the best cancer centers use robotic surgery.
Sparing procedures instead of surgery. Sometimes they are completely interchangeable, sometimes they are used instead of surgery in patients with contraindications, with a good chance of a comparable outcome. Examples include MRI-guided laser ablation of brain tumors, radiofrequency or microwave ablation of liver, lung and pancreatic metastases. In prostate cancer, brachytherapy, radiotherapy, high-intensity focused ultrasound are used, which makes it possible to cure the disease without surgery, without problems with erection and urination.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy. Injection of a radioactive substance followed by scanning helps to understand which lymph nodes may have cancer cells. These 1-3 nodes are removed and examined. If there are no cancer cells in them, the traumatic step of surgery – lymphodissection (removal of dozens of lymph nodes) – can be avoided.
Partial removal of an organ. Whenever possible, affected organs are removed partially rather than completely: e.g. bladder, stomach, kidney, etc. These surgeries are more complex, but offer patients a better quality of life.
Reconstruction. If an organ cannot be saved, it can be reconstructed. For example, the bladder is reconstructed from a fragment of intestine, and the breast is reconstructed with implants or the patient's own tissue. If the larynx is removed, a voice prosthesis may be placed in the esophagus.
Why undergo cancer treatment in Europe
Cancer treatment in Europe is more effective, with a lower risk of recurrence in the early stages of the disease and better patient survival in the advanced stages. In addition, cancer treatment in Europe is safer and ensures a high quality of life for patients once cancer is beaten.
If you live in a country with a low level of medicine, you should not be treated with the methods of the twentieth century. Instead, you can go abroad to take advantage of all the possibilities of modern oncology, defeat cancer and at the same time keep your health and return to your usual way of life.
Use Booking Health service to choose a hospital, find out prices and book the treatment at a favorable cost, on convenient dates. Booking Health staff will advise you on all questions and organize your trip.
