The incidence rate of gastric cancer is still growing, not only in Russia, but also in many developed countries. The world is actively struggling with this ailment, but, unfortunately, the advantage is still on the side of the disease. However, it is too early to give up: over the past few years, oncologists have been able to achieve an increase in threshold survival rates among patients with gastric cancer.
In Israel, the treatment of this deadly pathology is characterized by positive statistical experience and numerous reviews of cured medical tourists from Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union.
Israeli oncologists have accumulated vast experience in the treatment of this disease. In addition, the treatment of a malignant tumor is carried out here according to the results of an accurate modern diagnosis, during which preference is given to minimally invasive and safe methods.
To avoid critical health consequences and return to normal life, the detection of oncology at an early stage is of fundamental importance. Thanks to the high-tech diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer in Israel (we will pay attention to the prices of individual procedures and complex courses a bit later), patients will find the initial mutations of healthy cells, and this, in turn, increases the patient's chances of recovery. Clinics of the Jewish state are contacted not only by local residents, but also by foreign patients.
Diagnostic Benefits
The innovative treatment of gastric cancer in Israel is based on the principles of informative and quality screening. Diagnosis of patients with malignant pathologies here is carried out on expensive unique equipment. It is important to understand that the success of therapy will largely depend on the objectivity of the research results. Israeli specialists recognize early cancer of the stomach, given that the disease is considered difficult to diagnose around the world.
The tumor itself at first can develop asymptomatically for a long time, and declare itself when a person has practically no chance due to the spread of cancer cells to surrounding tissues or the appearance of metastases. In addition, very often the first signs of oncology do not cause much concern to the patient. Heartburn, a feeling of heaviness in the stomach, nausea - these symptoms are simply ignored by people. Patients, referring to "harmless" gastritis or food poisoning, are in no hurry to consult doctors, are engaged in useless self-medication and are not even aware that cancer is rapidly progressing at this time.
How much is the examination
According to reviews, cancer treatment in Israeli clinics has allowed many cancer patients to return to life. However, it is necessary to soberly assess the availability of such assistance - not everyone has the opportunity to contact here. The cost of diagnosis, therapy, rehabilitation course is high and differs slightly in different clinics. In addition, the price of treatment for gastric cancer in Israel will depend on many factors that are determined individually in each case.
Based on general information about the cost of stay and treatment, we’ll try to figure out how much the patient will have to deal with oncology in this country. Next, we indicate only the average prices of diagnostic procedures for tumors of the stomach. Given the unstable rate (as of February 2018, 1 dollar is equal to 57.2 rubles), we give the estimated cost of services in Russian rubles:
- doctor's consultation - about 3400 rubles;
- blood tests on the panel of tumor markers - 44-57 thousand rubles;
- gastroscopy - an average of 80 thousand rubles;
- fluoroscopy - about 35-50 thousand rubles;
- detailed blood test - 28-50 thousand rubles;
- analysis of feces for occult blood - 23-40 thousand rubles;
- positron emission tomography - 115-140 thousand rubles;
- biopsy - 80-110 thousand rubles.
It is worth noting that Israeli experts prescribe an individual program of diagnostic procedures, which includes only those studies, the conduct of which, according to the doctor, is most appropriate. Therefore, the price of diagnostics will depend on a complex of selected procedures. If you take into account the reviews about the treatment of gastric cancer in Israel, then the majority of patients examined at about 200-300 thousand rubles.
The nuances of the research
Local oncologists pay special attention to the results of gastroscopy. Thanks to this method, it is possible to recognize not only the newly formed neoplasm, but also precancerous polyps. Removal of formations of unknown nature is carried out immediately during diagnosis. Tissues of polyps taken from the stomach are sent for urgent histological analysis in order to determine their cellular composition. The advantage of Israeli gastroscopy is the latest endoscopes - instruments, in contrast to older models, are equipped with the thinnest, almost imperceptible probes. In addition, for this research procedure, the patient is immersed in medical sleep. By the way, in Russia, the method of sedation in the course of endoscopic examination is resorted to only if there is evidence.
No less important are other types of surveys. For example, radiography allows you to clarify the localization of the neoplasm, its stage, view clear boundaries, as well as inspect the walls of the stomach and find out the degree of layered lesion of the tumor, its exact location.
Thanks to PET-CT, modern oncologists, including Israeli ones, detect metastases, if any. During the diagnostic procedure, even the smallest foci can be found. The session is carried out by scanning the body with a previously introduced special glucose-containing drug. Cancerous tumors intensively absorb sugar - this type of diagnosis is based on this principle.
All of the above studies allow an objective assessment of the state of the stomach, the stage of cancer, but the final conclusion about the malignancy of the tumor can be obtained only after a biopsy. The procedure for the collection of pathological tissues is usually carried out during gastroscopy. It does not carry any danger in itself, since in Israel a biopsy is carried out only by experienced specialists. Painless samples of the tumor are sent to the laboratory for histological analysis, which will give an accurate answer about the benign or malignant cells. Only after confirmation of the disease do they proceed to the further stages of the treatment of gastric cancer.
In Israel, the patient is not always forced to undergo a biopsy. An interesting nuance: in the presence of tissue samples obtained during the previous study (for example, in the patient’s homeland), biomaterial is not re-taken. However, the Israelis carry out a control histological analysis based on the available glass slides. Specialists of local clinics do not accept the results obtained in foreign clinics.
As soon as the doctor has on hand all the conclusions of expert diagnosticians, he will be able to choose the appropriate treatment tactics. In severe cases, not only oncologists, but also surgeons, gastroenterologists are involved in the patient’s history.
How Doctors Fight Stomach Cancer in Israel
Treatment of oncology of the gastrointestinal tract is carried out mainly by surgery. In fact, it is impossible to guarantee a 100% successful outcome of the disease after removal of the tumor, but nevertheless, operable patients are much more likely to recover. Additional methods will be able to strengthen the results of surgical treatment: chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In addition, in Israel today, targeted treatment is considered the most effective treatment for stomach cancer. Such therapy is based on the principles of molecular effects on malignant cells, blocking their growth and spread throughout the body. The targeted method is universal, as it is used for many types of cancer.
At all stages of the disease, diet is mandatory, regardless of the method and characteristics of the treatment of gastric cancer. In Israel, the cost of treating such a disease can exceed several tens of thousands of dollars, so it would be at least silly to violate this rule and ignore the instructions of the attending physician. All treatment expenses may be in vain if you do not follow a diet. In Israeli clinics specializing in the fight against cancer of the digestive system, professional nutritionists develop menus for patients.
As in other countries that are leaders in the fight against cancer (USA, Japan, Germany, South Korea), in Israel the treatment of stomach cancer is carried out comprehensively, which provides good results. However, an effective fight against a tumor can only be called if it has not yet had time to spread metastases throughout the body.
Surgery
Depending on the stage of the disease, removal of the tumor is carried out in various ways:
- Endoscopic mucosal resection.
- Partial or subtotal gastrectomy.
- Total gastrectomy.
All of these surgical interventions can be performed not only with open access, but also with the help of a laparoscope. Only a specialist can choose the method of surgery based on the stage of the disease, general condition and individual characteristics of the patient.
Endoscopic mucosal resection is the most gentle way to remove a tumor. In Israel, the treatment of gastric cancer at stage 4 is not carried out in this way, since the procedure involves the removal of the neoplasm or a minimal part of the organ. Endoscopic mucosal resection is often tolerated by the patient without complications, however, it is prescribed exclusively in the early stages of the development of pathology, when the risk of cancer cell proliferation is minimal.
Gastrectomy can be partial, subtotal and total. Such an operation involves resection of the affected part of the organ, and in some cases segments of the esophagus, small intestine, pancreas. The rationality of performing subtotal or partial gastrectomy is considered if the tumor is localized in the lower stomach. With the location of the neoplasm in its upper sections, the probability of the spread of cancer cells through the gastric wall is much higher. If the malignant tumor has changed to other organs or has affected the lymph nodes, the patient may need a total gastrectomy. In this case, the entire stomach, regional nearby lymph nodes, fragments of other affected organs are removed.
Adjunctive therapy
As already mentioned, surgery is not the only treatment for stomach cancer in Israel. The cost of one chemotherapeutic course is approximately 120 thousand rubles. With cancer in the third or fourth stage, patients require several courses of treatment with chemicals that are designed to stop the growth of malignant cells and prevent metastasis. The exact number of procedures is determined by the doctor, based on the dynamics of the patient's condition.
Chemotherapy is usually carried out before surgery, since thanks to it, it is possible to reduce the size of the tumor, to make the formation mobile, which greatly facilitates the removal process. The treatment of gastric cancer in Israel is carried out using exceptional modern drugs that have fewer side effects than previous generations of the same group.
Nevertheless, to say that chemotherapy is safe, does not have an immunosuppressive effect on the immune system and healthy body cells would be fundamentally wrong. Between courses take special medications that minimize the negative effects of chemical compounds.
For the same purpose, radiation treatment of stomach cancer is carried out in Israel and many other countries, including Russia. If in the later stages the operation was impossible or did not bring the expected results, radiotherapy is used with a palliative purpose - to relieve symptoms and improve the patient's quality of life. Judging by the reviews, the cost of treating stomach cancer in Israel, implying a method of radiation therapy - 10-12 thousand rubles. in one session. It is impossible to name the total amount, as in each case it all depends on the type of cancer, its aggressiveness and pace of spread, as well as on the choice of clinic and specialist level.
Targeted therapy as a whole is significantly different from previous techniques. During treatment, the exact effect on the cancer cell molecule is exerted. The main tool that is used during the procedures is monoclonal antibodies. The advantage of targeted therapy, which is carried out in Israel after surgical treatment, is the absence of adverse reactions and consequences due to exposure only to pathological cells that do not affect healthy tissues.
Surgical and inoperable patients
Enough has been said about how stomach cancer is treated in Israel. However, it is equally important to pay attention to the issue of patient operability in cancer. First of all, it is important to understand that:
- The main methods of treating stomach cancer in Israel implies higher limits of operability than, for example, in Russia or other CIS countries. Most often, a tumor recognized by our domestic oncologists as incurable will not necessarily be considered hopeless there.
- Often, patients arriving in Israel from abroad are given the wrong diagnosis at home.
If the diagnosis is confirmed by Israeli specialists and there are all indications for surgery, most likely, the patient will be prescribed one of the surgical treatment options described above (endoscopic resection, partial, subtotal or complete gastrectomy) in parallel with supportive chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
In severe cases of gastric cancer, when the neoplasm prevents the passage of food, but is inoperable, in Israel resort to one of the options for palliative treatment. These include:
- Subtotal resection. Surgery is performed for the sole purpose of reducing the intensity of the pain syndrome, stopping bleeding (with episodes of this), freeing up space for the passage of food into the duodenum. In this case, the cost of treating stomach cancer in Israel reaches 1.5 million rubles.
- Installation of a bypass gastric anastomosis or stenting. The procedure involves the introduction of an artificial element that will ensure the passage of food into the intestine, bypassing the area affected by the tumor. The price of such manipulation is an average of 1.2 million rubles.
- Ablation of the neoplasm. This implies laser burning of a tumor in order to form a passageway to restore the communication of the stomach with the duodenum. The procedure costs about 1-1.3 million rubles.
Patients at the terminal stage who are too weak and are not able to independently consume a sufficient amount of food, install a probe into the esophagus. Thanks to the device, a person will be able to receive liquid food. The measure of palliative treatment resorted to in Israel is also chemo- and radiation therapy, the use of painkillers and other drugs that inhibit negative symptoms.
The most popular cancer clinics
The cost of treating stomach cancer in Israel will primarily depend on the choice of a medical institution. About the doctors of the most popular clinics specializing in the fight against oncology of the gastrointestinal tract, cured patients respond positively. Most often, foreign patients turn to medical facilities, which we will discuss in more detail below.
Surasky Medical Center
The former name is Ihilov Hospital. The center is in demand, is one of the leaders in cancer treatment in Israel. Oncology department operates on the basis of the clinic, where the leading specialists of the country work. Here, doctors use unique, latest techniques (for example, hot chemotherapy). The effectiveness of treating patients at stages II and III in the Surasky Medical Center is approximately 40% higher compared with the performance of state medical institutions.
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Rambam
This Israeli medical center uses innovative surgical technologies and the latest equipment to successfully treat stomach cancer. The doctors of this clinic work closely with oncological institutions in Europe and the USA with the aim of exchanging experience, introducing progressive projects and therapeutic programs (brachytherapy, radiotherapy).
The benefits of treatment in Israel
Turning to the clinics of this country for help, patients get a higher chance of winning the fight against cancer. In favor of Israeli cancer centers, he says:
- The vast experience of local experts in the field of medical tourism. All of the above clinics are members of the Israeli Association of Medical Tourism Companies.
- An individual approach to each patient, taking into account his wishes and needs.
- Flexible prices. An opportunity to choose among offers with various cost. Cash costs for cancer treatment in Israel will depend on the pricing policy of the particular clinic. The cost of all services is fixed, the patient pays them once with a direct appeal to the oncology department.
- Operational diagnostics (to complete a set of research procedures will take no more than three days.
- Medical care in Israel meets high international standards.