Cervical Cancer Treatment in Germany
Best hospitals and doctors for cervical cancer treatment in Germany
Leading hospitals
Cost for treatment
The oncological disease known as cervical cancer is characterized by a large number of cases with late diagnosis making. At the same time, the effective methods of its treatment are now developed, allowing to achieve recovery at the early stages and significantly increasing life expectancy at the advanced stages. In this regard, German hospitals have extensive experience in cervical cancer treatment, providing a high level of medical care.
Content
- How common is cervical cancer?
- Diagnostics in Germany
- Surgical options for cervical cancer treatment
- Conservative cervical cancer treatment in Germany
- Treatment of cervical cancer stage 4
- Rehabilitation
- Prognosis and prevention of recurrence
- Methods of prevention of cervical cancer in Germany
- The cost of treatment in Germany
- How to organize treatment in Germany?
Treatment of cervical cancer includes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Chemoembolization, targeted drugs and immunotherapy are also used.
Stage 4 cervical cancer treatment includes radiation therapy, chemo-, immuno- and targeted therapy.
Price for extensive surgical resection starts at €6,125. Cost of radiation therapy and chemotherapy starts at €8,190. You can find other prices on our website.
The best hospitals for treatment in Germany are:
- University Hospital Rechts der Isar Munich
- University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
- University Hospital Frankfurt am Main
- Helios Hospital Berlin-Buch
- Clinic of Advanced Biological Medicine Frankfurt am Main
How common is cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer is extremely common. Every year more than half a million new cases of the medical condition are registered in the world. Cervical cancer is the 4th most common condition among all malignant neoplasms and the 2nd one among gynecologic oncology.
According to medical statistics, 35-40% of cervical cancer cases are diagnosed when pathology has already reached the advanced stages. However, women usually experience long-term precancerous conditions, so cancer can be prevented if examinations are carried out in a timely manner.
Diagnostics in Germany
The main method of diagnosing cervical cancer is a histological examination. Also, the attending physician may assign procedures like standard laboratory tests, ultrasound scan, CT scan, or MRI.
If you are going to come for treatment in Germany, you need to have with you all medical documents regarding your examinations, as well as data on the treatment that has already been conducted. Nevertheless, you should be prepared for repeating diagnostic procedures since hospitals in Germany offer diagnostics of better quality.
Doctors from countries with poorly developed medical systems may make mistakes in the establishment of a medical diagnosis (e.g. in the assessment of the degree of malignancy of the tumor, the stage of cancer, determination of the sensitivity of cancer to various methods of conservative therapy, etc.) and choosing the cancer treatment tactics (the volume of operation, the regimen of conservative therapy, etc.). Today, German hospitals have accumulated vast experience in the verification of medical diagnoses in patients from other countries.
Surgical options for cervical cancer treatment
There are several surgical techniques that are widely used in cervical cancer treatment, the most common of which are highlighted below.
The conization is surgery of choice for young women who want to preserve a childbearing potential. The surgery is carried out only at the early stages of cervical cancer. Since cervical cancer is prone to relapses, the organ-preserving surgery often has to be complemented with chemotherapy.
Trachelectomy is a more radical type of surgery that implies removal of the cervix and the upper part of the vagina, as well as the nearby tissues with regional lymph nodes in which cancer cells can be present. The childbearing potential is preserved, although some women experience premature childbirth. The delivery after such a surgery is carried out only with C-section.
Another possible type of surgery is hysterectomy, which implies a complete removal of the uterus with the preservation of appendages. In Germany, such surgery is carried out laparoscopically using robotic techniques (mainly da Vinci robotic system). Such experience guarantees the minimum risk of complications, the shorter recovery period, and the absence of large scars after the surgery. The childbearing function is lost, but the libido and the possibility of sex life are preserved. There’s also an expanded hysterectomy (removal of the uterus with appendages and top of the vagina), which is considered one of the most effective techniques for cervical cancer treatment. It guarantees the minimum risk of recurrence.
The type of surgery is chosen by the attending physician during consultation with patients, taking into account both the stage of the disease and the patients’ plans for the future (desire to have children, etc.).
The main goal in cervical cancer treatment is a radical removal of a tumor, a complete cure or, when the latter is impossible, the maximum extension of life with its high quality. Therefore, in German hospitals, surgical treatment is aimed at preserving the pelvic nerve structures.
Nerve-sparing manipulations for cervical cancer treatment require vast practical experience and specialized equipment. For example, the nerves are highlighted that minimizes the risk of their injury. Microsurgical optics and medical tools are widely used as well.
Depending on the medical situation, one of the following nerve-preserving surgeries for cervical cancer is performed in German hospitals:
- Conventional laparotomic surgery (with access through the incision of the abdominal wall)
- Laparoscopic surgery (with access through short incision, through which endoscopic tools are introduced)
- Transvaginal surgery with a laparoscopic assistance
After a nerve-preserving surgery, the bladder function is completely restored in 2-3 days in 80% of patients and during the week in the rest. The recovery of the urinary function after the traditional radical hysterectomy without preserving the nerves takes up to 3 weeks (and not always in full).
The nerve-preserving surgery improves the quality of life after removing the tumor during cervical cancer treatment. It is preferred in German hospitals when the stage of cancer development allows it.
Conservative cervical cancer treatment in Germany
Conservative methods for treating cervical cancer in Germany can complement surgical intervention. Preoperative antitumor courses make it possible to significantly reduce the volume of tumor and reduce the risk of recurrence.
Conservative methods are generally used to control tumor growth, eliminate pain syndrome and reduce the severity of intoxication.
German hospitals use the most advanced methods of conservative treatment, including intraoperative radiotherapy, brachytherapy, the introduction of chemotherapeutic agent in the artery that is providing blood supply to the tumor, immunotherapy, etc.
Treatment of cervical cancer stage 4
Stage 4 cervical cancer is rarely managed with surgical treatment. Radiotherapy in combination with chemotherapy is prescribed for the treatment of cervical cancer stage 4 with metastases in the nearest organs.
Treatment is carried out in two stages. At first, within 4-6 weeks of treatment of cervical cancer stage 4, the patient has daily sessions of external radiation therapy. In modern oncological centers, high accuracy technologies are used for this, e.g. conformal radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, and proton therapy. During the course, the patient with stage 4 cervical cancer also takes chemotherapeutic medication that enhances the sensitivity of cancerous tissues to radiation. At the end of the course of external radiation therapy, brachytherapy is assigned in a high or low dose. Depending on the dosage of radiation, the duration of each session for stage 4 cervical cancer is selected.
Rehabilitation
After the course of therapy for cervical cancer, patients undergo a course of comprehensive rehabilitation at German hospitals, which is aimed at minimizing undesirable side effects. After all, surgery, chemotherapy, and irradiation have a serious impact on the body. Rehabilitation helps to cope with negative treatment effects.
Also, during the recovery period, patients receive psychological support. Due to this, it is possible to overcome the fear of recurrence of the disease.
Prognosis and prevention of recurrence
The prognosis in the advanced forms of the disease is unfavorable. However, tumors of the first and second stages are cured in 95% of cases.
Women who have been treated in the German hospitals receive recommendations for further preventive examinations. It is necessary to undergo cytological examination and blood tests every three months during the first year. With the frequency of once every six months, such examinations should be continued from 2 to 4 years. After that, the medical check-up is carried out once every 12 months lifelong. The visit to the practitioner includes physical and gynecologic examination, abdominal ultrasound scan or computed tomography.
Methods of prevention of cervical cancer in Germany
In Germany, special attention is paid to cancer prevention.
Since 2006, in Germany there's been vaccination of girls aged 12 to 17 years and of uninfected women up to 45 years. The vaccine protects from infection with the most common human papillomavirus that is connected with cervical cancer development.
Also, intensive research is carried out in the field of creating healing vaccines for patients already infected with highlyoncogenous HPV. Such vaccines can destroy the virus and prevent the development of cervical cancer.
Another vaccine group is created for patients who already have cervical cancer with metastases or recurrence of the disease. Such vaccines stimulate the immune response of the body and contribute to the cessation of the tumor cells multiplying and their destruction.
The cost of treatment in Germany
Prices for various diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in German hospitals are somewhat different from the cost of treatment offered by the medical institutions of other countries mainly due to the quality guarantee. Prices are presented in euros, which simplifies the calculation of the cost of treatment for patients from different parts of the world:
- The price for chemotherapy and radiotherapy for cervical cancer starts at 19,305 EUR.
- The price for conization in Germany starts at 4,992 EUR.
- The price for extensive surgical resection starts at 14,781 EUR.
The average price of oncological rehabilitation after cervical cancer treatment in Germany is 1,280 EUR per day, the minimum price is 1,041 EUR per day, and the maximum price is 1,553 EUR per day. To know more about the cost of treatment for cervical cancer leave a request on the Booking Health website.
How to organize treatment in Germany?
Cervical cancer is a dangerous oncological disease that requires an integrated approach to treatment. German doctors have extensive experience in eliminating the condition; many patients with severe pathology are treated in Germany. Unfortunately, the methods that exist today make it possible to quickly heal only people who start treatment timely. Therefore, it is necessary to come for treatment immediately after the diagnosis is established. Employees of Booking Health will help you to come for treatment to Germany in the shortest time possible.
Our company is engaged in the selection of specialized German hospitals and specialists, which makes the search as personalized as possible. Booking Health has up-to-date information about the success rates in cervical cancer treatment in Germany.
Booking Health manages all issues related to the stay in German clinics, so you don’t have to worry about organizational aspects. With Booking Health your treatment experience will be not only effective but also comfortable.
If you have any questions about cervical cancer treatment in Germany, leave a request on the Booking Health website, and a medical advisor will contact you to answer all of them.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board-certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova 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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