Breast cancer treatment in Israel

Oncology in Israel is one of the most sought-after destinations for medical tourism. More than 80% of patients who seek medical help from the hospitals in this country come here specifically for cancer treatment. To achieve excellent results even at the advanced stages of the disease, Israeli clinics use the very latest breast cancer treatment methods. Doctors not only remove malignancies, but also take care about restoring the aesthetics of the female breast. Israel offers reasonable prices, privacy and a high level of medical care.

What methods can be used for breast cancer treatment?

The treatment of breast cancer usually begins with surgery. A patient undergoes breast-conserving surgery (removal of a part of the breast) or radical mastectomy (removal of the entire mammary gland). The choice of a specific surgical intervention is made individually, taking into account many factors:

• Stage of the disease
• Size of the primary tumor
• Breast size 
• Sentinel lymph node biopsy results 
• Type of cancer

After surgery, most women receive chemotherapy. It is necessary to reduce the risk of relapse. Chemotherapy can also be used before surgery to reduce the size of the tumor.

Hormone therapy is also often used. It lasts several years. The decision on its necessity is made based on the diagnostic tests. The hormonal drugs can be prescribed if the tumor has sex hormone receptors (estrogen and progesterone). Two out of three cases of cancer are hormone-dependent and respond well to such treatment.

Radiation therapy for breast cancer is not always used. The decision on the necessity for radiation therapy is made individually. The breast-conserving operations are almost always followed by irradiation. In the case of mastectomy, a patient can often avoid radiation therapy, but sometimes radiation therapy may be required even after removal of the entire mammary gland.

The leading hospitals in Israel apply new methods of irradiation. They allow a doctor to accurately direct beams of radiation on the tumor, reduce damage to healthy tissues. Radiation therapy is carried out according to an accelerated program, in just a few days. The cost of treatment using new methods may be higher.

For most women, it is important not only to recover from cancer, but also to maintain the aesthetics of the breast. This is possible thanks to reconstructive operations. They are performed immediately during mammary gland removal, or several weeks after the first surgical intervention. In most hospitals, these operations are performed in two stages. However, in some cases, it is possible to perform a single-stage oncoplastic operation if the breast is removed completely, and a patient does not require radiotherapy after surgery. The breast plastic surgery can be performed using both silicone implants and with the patient’s own tissues. In addition, when performing breast-conserving operations, a doctor can reduce the second breast to achieve symmetry.

The main methods of fighting against the advanced stages of cancer are chemotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, while immunotherapy is less common. Both surgery and radiation can only be used as a palliative treatment.

What hospitals can offer treatment?

Israel offers many good Cancer Clinics with reasonable prices and high effectiveness in the treatment of breast cancer. Here is a list of the best medical facilities in this country:

• Hadassah Medical Center. The hospital has a Breast Cancer Center, which deals with the prevention, screening, diagnostics and treatment of this disease. It employs surgeons, oncologists, radiologists. If necessary, women can undergo mammography, ultrasound or MRI scans here to detect the early stages of the disease. Genetic testing to detect a predisposition to breast cancer can be performed as well. The center performs oncoplastic operations. Doctors perform breast reconstruction either with silicone implants or with the patient's own tissues.
• Assuta Hospital. It is one of the best Cancer Clinics. The medical facility performs robot-assisted breast surgeries. Most often these are breast-conserving interventions with subsequent irradiation. When performing mastectomy, doctors remove neoplasms while preserving the pectoral muscle, if possible. In the future, surgeons will perform breast reconstruction. The clinic uses Prosigna assay to assess the risk of breast cancer recurrence within 10 years. The Assuta Hospital is one of the few in the world to use a PET-MRI scan to diagnose breast cancer.
• Sheba Medical Center. Breast cancer is treated at the Meirav Breast Health Center. Every year, doctors of the center provide medical care to more than 4 thousand patients with this cancer type. The medical facility performs unique breast removal surgeries with skin preservation, which subsequently allows breast prosthetics to be performed with the best aesthetic result. The center also provides breast cancer treatment using high-intensity focused ultrasound within clinical trials.
• Sourasky Medical Center. It is one of the best hospitals in the world. Most foreign patients come here for cancer treatment in Israel. The Institute of Radiology at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center is the only clinic outside North America to be accepted as a member of RTOG (Radiotherapy Oncology Group). They use the very latest methods of breast irradiation according to the accelerated program, which provide a minimum of side effects. The clinic has the world's best accelerators of the Novalis TrueBeam STX manufactured by Varian Medical System, equipped with an ultra-modern computing system.
• Rambam Health Care Campus. It ranks among the best Breast Cancer Clinics. The medical facility performs breast-conserving surgeries and radical mastectomy. It also performs reconstructive interventions, uses modern methods of irradiation. Thanks to the state-of-the-art X-ray systems, high-precision ultrasound or MRI devices, most breast tumors can be diagnosed at an early stage. At the advanced stages of breast cancer, doctors use tests for the individual selection of chemotherapy, hormonal and biological therapy.
• Rabin Medical Center. The Davidoff Cancer Center deals with the treatment of breast cancer. The clinic uses intraoperative radiation therapy with the INTRABEAM system. The irradiation during a surgery allows avoiding the subsequent long-term radiation therapy after wound healing. To treat the advanced stages of cancer, doctors use the very latest methods of immunotherapy, which are not a standard treatment method. The center carries out special tests to determine whether a patient will respond to immune treatment. Careful treatment planning allows for reaching optimal therapeutic results.

Why is it worth treating breast cancer in Israel?

According to the effectiveness of oncology treatment, Israel occupies one of the leading positions in the world. About 89% of breast cancer cases are completely cured here. Very few countries can boast such results.

Israeli clinics use state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and conduct modern diagnostic tests. The malignancies can be diagnosed at an early stage. The treatment is selected individually, taking into account not only the stage and localization of cancer, but also its histological and molecular biological type.

Here are the main benefits of cancer treatment in Israel:

• High probability of a complete cure of the disease
• Preference is given to breast-conserving surgery
• Most sparing surgeries with the subsequent restoration of breast aesthetics (oncoplastic surgery)
• Accelerated radiation therapy programs
• Availability of innovative methods to combat advanced breast cancer
• Low cost of treatment, when compared with developed countries of the West
• Best quality-to-price ratio regarding the medical and relevant services

The borders of the world are open today. Everyone can go to another country – this allows you to reduce the cost of treatment or get medical services of a higher level. Take this opportunity to use the services of the best doctors in the world.

Where to seek help from?

To undergo breast cancer treatment in Israel at an affordable price, please, use the Booking Health service. On our portal you can clarify information about Israeli clinics, the cost of medical programs, cancer treatment methods used. You can compare the cost and offered medical services and book the program at a favourable price.

Booking Health specialists will help organize your trip to Israel for oncology treatment. We offer the following services and benefits:

• Selection of the Cancer Clinic in Israel, which specializes in the treatment of breast cancer and achieves the best results in the fight against this disease
• Selection of the most suitable dates and reduced waiting time for treatment
• Reduced cost of breast cancer treatment in Israel – the price is reduced due to excluding additional coefficients for foreign patients
• Direct communication with the doctor
• Preparation of an oncology treatment program without the need to repeat previously performed diagnostic tests
• Buying and forwarding medicines
• Communication with the clinic after the completion of the medical program
• Organization of additional diagnostics, oncology treatment or rehabilitation after surgery

Booking Health specialists provide high-quality services related to the treatment of oncology in Israel. We will take care about booking a hotel and airline tickets for you, meet you at the airport and take you to the hospital by car.