Treatment of Bladder Cancer in Germany
Best hospitals and doctors for bladder cancer treatment in Germany
Leading hospitals
Cost for treatment
Bladder cancer is one of the most severe and aggressive types of oncology. The tumor develops from the tissues of the bladder wall and very quickly progresses, penetrating the adjacent tissues and organs.
Content
- Bladder cancer prevalence
- Options for bladder cancer treatment in Germany
- How the therapy method is chosen
- Surgical treatment in Germany
- Treatment of stage 4 bladder cancer
- Prognosis
- Why undergo cancer treatment in Germany?
- The cost of treatment in Germany
- Treatment with Booking Health
Bladder cancer is development of the malignant neoplasm from the bladder lining. Treatment options in Germany include surgery, radiation therapy, systemic and intravesical chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.
These are transurethral bladder resection, partial and radical cystectomy.
Stage 4 bladder cancer treatment includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy and palliative surgeries, such as urinary diversion and cystectomy.
In Germany, the 5-year relative survival rate for the early-stage bladder cancer is over 71%. Survival rates for advanced cancer are estimated individually.
Bladder cancer treatment in Germany includes sparing and unique surgeries, access to novel drugs and advanced equipment. The average price of da Vinci radical cystectomy and bladder reconstruction is 41,300 EUR, the minimum price is 31,500 EUR, and the maximum price is 54,400 EUR.
Bladder cancer prevalence
Studies show that bladder cancer occurs in male patients much more often, which is related to anatomical features. Women are subject to this type of oncological disease less often. Besides, for patients with persistent smoking habits, the risk of developing bladder cancer is 4 times higher. In addition to the mentioned above, elderly people are also potentially vulnerable to this type of oncology.
In Germany, bladder cancer ranks fourth amongst other oncology cases. Moreover, in Germany, about 15,000 patients are diagnosed with bladder cancer annually, which urges German medicine to develop this field of oncology.
Options for bladder cancer treatment in Germany
Generally, manifestations of bladder cancer aren't distinctive enough at the initial stages. So, when the first symptoms arise it's important to turn to diagnostic methods and not get into self-medication, for the bladder cancer treatment to work properly.
Efficient bladder cancer treatment is a complex process. German specialists take into account the stage of oncology, the localization of the tumor, germination in the deep layers of the bladder wall, the presence of distant metastases, and other corresponding factors. The general medical condition of the patients is also of great importance. Therefore, highly qualified German specialists individually approach the oncology treatment in each clinical case.
In Germany, bladder cancer treatment options include surgical intervention, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, and other specific techniques.
In cases of initial stages of the tumor process, the minimally invasive organ-saving medical interventions is possible. To this end, German specialists use a transurethral resection of the bladder. In the course of medical intervention, the resectoscope entered through the urethra removes the tumor and the affected tissues. In cases of extensive tumor spread, radical cystectomy is carried out. During this surgical intervention, the bladder is completely removed. In men the prostate gland and testicles are excised additionally, and in women – the uterus with appendages.
In German hospitals, it's also possible to use modern types of chemotherapy. Generally, chemotherapy schemes of different conjunction (preoperative and postoperative) are practiced.
Radiotherapy is rarely used as an independent method. Radiation therapy is most often used as a combined bladder cancer treatment, unlike stereotactic radiosurgery which is considered a modern method in medicine that impacts both the tumor and cancer metastases. In addition, no particular preparation for this treatment is required from the patient. The significant advantage of radiosurgical method is the absence of negative impact on healthy cells.
After the treatment of bladder cancer in German hospitals, the individual rehabilitation scheme is prescribed to all patients. Besides, the attending physician always remains in touch with patients and, if necessary, makes adjustments in the rehabilitation regimen. That is why reviews about therapy for bladder cancer in Germany are exceptionally positive.
How the therapy method is chosen
Since relapses are common in bladder cancer patients, the surgical interventions need to be combined with chemotherapy cycles. This approach can significantly increase the percentage of patients living five, ten, or more years without cancer recurrence. In case of significant tumor sizes, courses of chemotherapeutic drugs are recommended before the surgery in addition to postoperative chemotherapy.
According to the indications for cases of bladder oncology, both remote (external) and internal radiation therapy can be used as an additional treatment method.
Remote radiation therapy significantly reduces pain in patients with inoperable tumors, and brachytherapy (internal radiation therapy) is widely used after resection of the bladder to prevent tumor relapses (specifically, to activate the destruction of the tumor cells that remained after the intervention).
As a part of the common process, chemotherapy is often complemented by immunotherapy that stimulates the immune system to fight bladder cancer.
Remote metastases, in turn, are usually destroyed using radiosurgical techniques.
Surgical treatment in Germany
The main method of bladder cancer treatment at early stages is radical surgical intervention. The volume of the operation primarily depends on the stage of the disease. In cases where a malignant tumor was revealed during a preventive examination at the earliest stage of development, German medicine offers the most gentle methods, such as laser vaporization, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) method, and many others.
Much more often, German surgeons have to refer to more traumatic operations, such as excision of the affected part of the bladder (partial cystectomy). In this case, the preference is given to minimally invasive techniques, such as the removal of the bladder part using endoscopic equipment.
German hospitals are famous for the high efficiency of rehabilitation medicine, which allows German surgeons to conduct invasive operations without a threat to the patient and avoid such cases when nearby genitals are removed along with the bladder. After that, a new bladder is formed from the section of the small intestine.
Treatment of stage 4 bladder cancer
Treatment of stage 4 bladder cancer includes a combination of pain-relieving therapy, palliative therapy, necessary palliative surgeries, and symptomatic treatment.
Standard chemotherapy for treatment of stage 4 bladder cancer contributes to the extension of the patient's life. In more than half of the patients, the treatment of bladder cancer at stage 4 cannot be carried out using certain chemotherapy drugs due to the unsatisfactory overall state of the patient’s health. In this case, such drugs are substituted with safer ones.
Radiation therapy is also used as a form of palliative care in patients with stage 4 cancer. It helps to relieve painful symptoms.
However, the adequacy and the potential benefits of the chosen regimen for stage 4 bladder cancer treatment are evaluated individually for patients.
Prognosis
The prognosis for both life expectancy and its quality depends on many factors. So, for example, the possibility of recurrence largely depends on the degree of differentiation of the tumor tissue, as well as the type of tumor growth. Low-differentiated cancer infiltrating the bladder will always have the prognosis worse than the one for highly differentiated cancer.
Often, patients come for cancer treatment in Germany already at the third and fourth stages of the malignant process progression, when the size of the tumor is significant and the germination of the tumor into the surrounding organs and tissues makes it difficult to carry out radical surgery.
In such cases, the prognosis for ultimate recovery is always dubious and all doctors’ efforts are aimed at stabilizing the process. That is, to suspend tumor growth and avoid complications. At the earliest stages of the disease development, treatment with minimally invasive interventions can eliminate bladder cancer.
Therefore, the optimal method of combating oncological diseases is regular preventive examinations that ensure timely detection of the pathology.
Bladder cancer is classified as a moderately aggressive oncological disease. The malignant bladder tumors are growing relatively slow, spreading lymphogenically (i.e. to the nearest lymph nodes).
As a rule, the distant metastases are relatively rare at the initial stages of the disease. In such cases, distant cancer cells are most often found in the liver, lungs, and bones, less often in other organs and tissues.
At the same time, the malignant tumors of the bladder are characterized by an increased tendency to relapses, which significantly worsens the overall prognosis and makes high demands on the quality of treatment even at the earliest stages of the development of the process.
Why undergo cancer treatment in Germany?
German medicine has minimally invasive treatment methods at its disposal. Due to the technical achievements, minimally invasive interventions allow reducing the period of stay in the hospital. Urology in Germany is one of the most advanced in the world, and advanced treatment methods give excellent chances of a successful cure.
German medicine has a leading position in the field of oncology, therefore patients from around the world come to the German hospitals. The efficiency of treatment of oncology in Germany is proved to be much higher than average indicators across Europe. Such level of successes is associated with the following features of the German medicine:
- High level of medical science and technology development
- Interconnectedness of scientific research and medical practice
- Great experience and excellent qualifications in the field of oncology
- The advanced equipment, high-quality medications and materials, fully equipped medical institutions
- A unique healthcare system that includes state and private medical institutions in Germany
Therefore, the chances of full recovery when undergoing treatment in German hospitals are significantly higher than in the case of treatment in other medical institutions.
The cost of treatment in Germany
Prices for treatment in Germany in many fields of medicine are quite similar to treatment prices in other countries. At the same time, the quality of service in German hospitals is much higher. At the same time, the cost of treatment in Germany is much lower than in the United States and some other European countries. The secret is that the pricing in health care of Germany is strictly regulated by the law and does not allow medical institutions to arbitrarily raise the cost of treatment. The law particularly states that prices for treatment in Germany are the same for both local and foreign patients:
- The cost of treatment in Germany with radical cystectomy with bladder reconstruction starts from 34,025 EUR
- The cost of treatment with partial or total resection with neourethra formation starts from 32,062 EUR
- The average cost of treating bladder cancer with embolization or chemoembolization is 29,800 EUR
The average price of rehabilitation after bladder cancer treatment is 820 EUR per day, the minimum price is 630 per day, and the maximum price is 1,083 EUR per day.
You can get a consultation on treatment prices if you leave the request on the Booking Health website.
Treatment with Booking Health
Booking Health professionally organizes diagnostics and treatment of bladder cancer in Germany. Thanks to the most advanced and gentle methods of treatment, the percentage of patients who have successfully undergone treatment in Germany is very high.
Booking Health will save both your financial and emotional resources by offering you treatment programs with the perfect price-quality ratio. Also, Booking Health will help you decide upon the medical facility and a doctor. Therefore, the whole process of treatment abroad becomes much more personalized and less stressful at the same time.
You can start treatment of bladder cancer right now. All your need to do is leave a request on the Booking Health website and a medical advisor will contact you in a short time.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board-certified doctors Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk and Dr. Sergey Pashchenko. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
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