Liver cancer is an oncological disease in which the primary focus of the tumor is located in the tissues of the liver. To date, this type of tumor is considered quite common and accounts for approximately 1.5% of the total number of oncological diseases. Every year, around 300,000-600,000 new cases of liver cancer are diagnosed worldwide.
The best Israeli clinics for oncology
Just a couple of decades ago, such a diagnosis was considered as a death sentence, as doctors did not have powerful medical equipment and advanced methods of treatment. Now the situation has changed radically, and with timely diagnosis, a very effective treatment of liver cancer is possible. In Israel, in this field of medicine, doctors managed to achieve really high rates. Every year, hundreds of patients from the post-Soviet space and European countries turn to the specialists of this country.
According to statistics, the effectiveness of complex treatment in this country reaches 80%. As for the reviews about the treatment of liver cancer in Israel, the majority of cancer patients treated here note:
- quick diagnostics (carried out in just a coupledays);
- careful selection of treatment methods;
- comparatively low prices (patients note that in European centers the cost of treatment is 10-30% higher);
- effectiveness - many managed to achieve remission even at the 3rd stage.
Israel has great potential in the field of medicine, numerous cancer centers are located in almost all major cities of the country. The list of the largest can be listed below.
Sheba Clinic
The clinic is located in the suburbs of Tel Aviv. It has the largest oncology department in the entire Middle East. It was here that a program was introduced for effective prevention, diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases, including liver cancer.
In addition to state-of-the-art equipment, Sheba is known for its close collaboration with one of the best oncology hospitals in the United States, MD Anderson.
Rambam Clinic in Haifa
The Institute of Oncology at this clinic is well known far beyond the borders of Israel. The use of advanced treatment methods, cooperation with European and American oncology centers, the possibility of patients participating in clinical trials - all this significantly increases the effectiveness of treatment.
Ichilov Clinic in Tel Aviv
This oncology center in Israel is based on the basis of the city hospital. One of the main features is specialization in all types of tumors, including liver cancer. The department is also famous for the introduction of experimental techniques that make it possible to fight the disease even at the stage ofmetastasis.
Asuta Clinic in Tel Aviv
Speaking of the best and well-known oncological centers in this country, one of the largest private medical centers, the Asuta clinic, cannot be ignored. It provides comprehensive treatment of all types of oncology, in particular liver cancer. In Israel, this center occupies one of the leading places.
Hadassah State Hospital in Israel
Another famous oncology center that accepts patients from different countries. For high efficiency of treatment, only advanced methods and developments in the field of oncology are used, the clinic is equipped with the latest models of medical equipment. The hospital staff are highly qualified narrow specialists with vast experience.
Diagnostic procedures
An important component of effective treatment is fast and accurate diagnosis. It is the correctness of the diagnosis that determines how effective the selected treatment will be.
Israeli doctors pay special attention to the process of diagnosis. The rooms are equipped with the latest equipment, which makes even early detection of oncology possible. In a few days, the patient undergoes a series of hardware examinations and takes tests for laboratory tests.
- Blood biochemistry expanded. During the study, tumor markers CA 15-3, CA 242, CA 19-9, CF 72-4 are detected. Thanks to these data, a liver tumor is detected even before the onset of symptoms. With this approach, the treatment of liver cancer in Israel gives the maximum chance for recovery.
- Hardware diagnostics: ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging. Thanks to these types of diagnostics, doctors get a complete visualization of the tumor, including its size, shape, exact location and possible interaction with other internal organs.
- Angiography. During this procedure, it becomes clear what condition the renal vessels are in, which is extremely important for the subsequent operation.
- Diagnostic laparoscopy.
- Scintigraphy of liver tissues.
- Positron emission tomography. As a result of its implementation, all metastases in the patient's body are detected.
- Biopsy. This type of diagnosis involves removing a sample of tumor tissue and examining it.
SIRT treatment
The treatment of liver cancer in Israel is often carried out using the latest SIRT technique. This term should be understood as the effect on the tumor of selective internal radiation therapy. Being a more advanced version of radiation therapy, SIRT effectively destroys tumor cells and prevents further growth of the neoplasm. The risk of re-development is greatly reduced.
During therapy, a catheter is brought to the tumor in the liver tissues through the inguinal artery. It contains special radioactive elements for radiation. Due to this, irradiation covers only the focus of cancer cells and has almost no effect on he althy tissues.
The new technology differs from the classical method of radiation therapy by reducing numerous side effects and more effective effect on the tumor (due to local action).
Using targeted chemotherapy
Chemotherapy has also proven itself in the fight against oncology. At the same time, a serious disadvantage of this method is the many side effects that worsen the general condition of the patient. This problem was effectively solved in Israel. Liver cancer is treated here with targeted chemotherapy.
The peculiarity of these drugs is that they act on molecules in cancer cells that are responsible for growth and division. An important indicator is the selective effect of drugs. In other words, targeted chemotherapy has no effect on he althy tissue.
One of the most effective drugs in this group is "Tarceva". It is prescribed for tumors of the liver and other organs related to the digestive system.
Chemoembolization
One of the newest methods of liver cancer treatment in Israel is chemoembolization. The essence of such therapy is as follows. The constant growth of the tumor is due to the uninterrupted flow of blood and the delivery of nutrients to it. If nutrition is stopped, further development of pathological cells will be impossible. To date, 2 methods of chemoembolization are used.
- Oiled. During oil chemoembolization, a catheter is inserted into the artery that feeds the tumor. Heblocks the artery for several hours, in connection with which the blood flow is disturbed. At this time, a special drug enters the blood vessels from the catheter, which destroys cancer cells. These substances include esters of fatty acids. Moreover, the drug is well compatible with other drugs.
- Chemoembolization with microspheres. Each microsphere contains a drug that can stop further tumor growth. The microspheres are delivered into the artery via a catheter. Here, the microspheres get stuck in the blood vessel and completely block the blood flow that feeds the tumor. After that, the substance is released from the microsphere and enters the cancer cells.
Radiofrequency ablation
Radiofrequency ablation is another innovation that is taking place in Israeli oncology clinics. This method is based on the effect of high temperature on the tumor. This effect is achieved when using current.
With the help of a laparoscope, a rod of a special device is inserted into the liver (close to the tumor). This device is capable of creating radio waves with a frequency of up to 500 kilohertz. Under the influence of such waves, the tissue is heated to a high temperature and tissue necrosis is achieved in a certain area. As a result, the tumor dies, and the tissue that was burned resolves over time.
The benefits of this treatment are obvious:
- Radiofrequency ablation can be performed even in cases where surgery cannot be performed for one reason or another;
- the procedure is carried out without incisions, andthis reduces recovery time and reduces the risk of complications;
- after such treatment, the risk of recurrence is reduced by 3 times than after surgery.
However, this approach to therapy is not possible in all cases.
Brachytherapy
The method of brachytherapy is a more modern version of radiation therapy. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that the radiation source is injected directly into the tumor. At the same time, cancer cells receive the maximum radiation flux, and all he althy tissues receive only a small percentage.
Physicians can implant a source of radiotherapy in two ways:
- manually - as the name implies, implantation and removal will be carried out by an experienced surgeon;
- with the help of robotics - in this case, the source is loaded into a mini-container and delivered to the source through conductive channels, removed in a similar way.
Surgery
Despite the presence of a large number of sparing ways to remove tumors, surgery is rightfully considered one of the most effective and reliable in the treatment of oncology. There are several types of liver surgery in Israel.
- Resection - this term refers to the excision of a small part of the organ. In this case, the tumor itself and a small part of he althy tissue are subject to removal. This is necessary to prevent relapse. This approach is chosen if the size of the neoplasm is small. Given the regeneration of liver tissue, the patient easily tolerates the removal of a small part of the organ.
- Donor liver transplant - such an operation takes place inif the tumor has affected both lobes of the liver.
Surgeries are most often combined with other treatments.
Treatment prices
Speaking about the cost of liver cancer treatment in Israel, it is worth emphasizing: the doctor will be able to announce a specific amount only after the examination and receipt of diagnostic data. Each individual patient needs an individual selection of treatment, because each case of oncology is unique in its own way. At the same time, each clinic has a price list, according to which pricing takes place.
Complex diagnostics, which allows to identify the features of the disease, costs about $6.000-8.000.
Cost of partial resection - $40.000-45.000.
Radiofrequency ablation - from $ 27,000.
Course of traditional chemotherapy - from $ 3000.
SIRT treatment - $50,000.
All of the above facts only confirm the high statistics. Oncologists, surgeons and other narrow specialists of these Israeli oncology clinics are focused on high patient survival rates, so they act in a coordinated and clear manner.
