How much does chemotherapy cost?
According to information from Bookimed partner clinics, the minimum price for chemotherapy is $200 - it is provided by medical centers in India . Turkey is also among the countries with the lowest cost of treatment - from $600 for 1 course of chemotherapy and Spain - from $520. The average price is $2,750, the maximum price is $20,900. Ask your Bookimed coordinating doctor how much chemotherapy costs in your case.
What affects the cost of chemotherapy?
The main factors that affect the cost of chemotherapy include:
- The drug and its dosage. Each medicine has its own cost, and it increases with increasing dosage.
- Number of courses. In most cases, the prices for chemotherapy provided by clinics in their price lists are per course. Therefore, the longer the treatment, the higher its cost. However, some medical centers offer prices for all treatments.
- scope of diagnostics. Laboratory and instrumental studies that must be completed to select a therapy protocol increase its final cost. Therefore, if the patient has already undergone some kind of diagnostics at the place of residence, its results (discs with CT, MRI images, glasses with histological material) must be taken with you to the clinic. If they are informative for the doctor, the procedure will not have to be repeated - this will reduce the final cost of treatment.
- The need for hospitalization / residence in the country. If a patient chooses a clinic, for example, in Israel , he does not have to undergo treatment there. If the condition and circumstances allow, it is possible to receive a treatment regimen from a doctor in an Israeli hospital, purchase medicine and undergo therapy at the place of residence. This reduces overall costs.
- Selected camps and clinics. Each country has its own pricing policy for medical services, so they can differ several times. For example, the minimum price for chemotherapy in Turkey is $600, in Germany it starts from $1,400. At the same time, the treatment is carried out according to the same international protocols, using original, certified drugs. Also, prices may vary in different clinics of the same country.
Bookimed assistance in choosing a clinic and organizing treatment does not affect the cost of chemotherapy! With us, you will pay for it the same amount as you would pay if you contacted the clinic directly. Find out more about how we work.
What are the benefits of chemotherapy package prices?
Package prices for chemotherapy are available at some medical centers. In addition to the main procedure, it includes additional medical and non-medical options.
The choice of package depends on the diagnosis, since each of them involves the treatment of a specific type of cancer and includes the appropriate diagnostic methods and types of surgery.
The advantage of package offers is that the patient immediately understands what the cost of the final treatment will be, what is included in it. In some cases, they even allow you to reduce costs, since the price of treatment within the package can be lower than if you add together the sum of all procedures.
How much does chemotherapy for cancer cost in different countries?
To give you an idea of how much cancer chemotherapy costs in different countries, we have prepared a comparison table. Please get to know her.
Where can I get chemotherapy and how can Bookimed help organize it?
Bookimed partners with 115+ clinics around the world where chemotherapy is available. Bookimed medical coordinators will help you find a medical center and an oncologist who specializes in the treatment of a particular type of cancer free of charge. You will receive TOP offers from clinics, find out how much a course of chemotherapy costs in your case, and you will be able to choose the medical center that suits you best.
Bookimed is an international service for the selection of medical solutions, organization of diagnostics and treatment in more than 40 countries. Every month, our medical coordinators help 9,000 patients. Our mission is to provide access to the necessary medical solutions for everyone and to provide assistance at all stages: from choosing a clinic and organizing a trip to returning home. We stay in touch with you 24/7 to make your path to health simple and comfortable.
Bookimed services are free for patients. The selection of a solution and the organization of a trip do not affect your bill for treatment.
Leave a request on the site to get TOP options for chemotherapy.
When is chemotherapy indicated?
In most cases, doctors prescribe chemotherapy for patients with stage 2-4 cancer when needed:
- prevent the return of the disease;
- reduce the tumor for surgery;
- reduce symptoms;
- prolong remission;
- completely destroy the neoplasm.
In some cases, oncologists resort to chemotherapy at the 1st stage of cancer - it depends on its type, characteristics of the tumor and characteristics of the body.
Cancer types for which chemotherapy is indicated include:
What are the types of chemotherapy?
There are different types of classification of chemotherapy depending on the drugs prescribed and their purpose.
According to the number of drugs that the patient takes during treatment, the National Cancer Institute distinguishes :
- Monochemotherapy is treatment with one drug to which the tumor is most sensitive.
- Polychemotherapy is treatment with several drugs at the same time or in a certain sequence.
Depending on the task of treatment, the Chemocare.com information portal distinguishes the following types of chemotherapy:
- Neoadjuvant (preoperative) - is aimed at reducing the tumor before its removal, allows you to save the tissues of the organ as much as possible.
- Adjuvant (prophylactic) - takes place before surgery and allows you to destroy tumor cells that have not been removed to prevent the return of the disease.
- Therapeutic - its task is to completely destroy the malignant tumor without the use of additional treatment.
- Induction - allows you to achieve remission (the period when the disease does not show symptoms). In most cases, doctors prescribe this type of chemistry to patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
- Consolidating - allows you to maintain remission in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
- The first line ( standard) - which has the highest probability of effectiveness for a particular type of cancer.
- Second-line - it is prescribed if, after first-line chemotherapy, the disease has not responded or has returned.
- Palliative - helps to reduce symptoms and improve the quality of life of a patient with advanced stages of the disease.
How is chemotherapy used? Traditional and innovative ways
The method of taking a chemotherapy drug depends on its type and characteristics of the diagnosis. The main methods of the American Society of Clinical Oncology include:
- Intravenous - takes place with the help of a dropper. During the treatment period, a special catheter remains in the patient's arm - this allows you not to make punctures in the vein every time before taking the drug, thereby reducing pain and simplifying the process.
- Oral - suitable for drugs that are produced in the form of tablets, capsules or a special liquid.
- Injection - takes place with the help of a subcutaneous or intramuscular injection in the arm, leg or abdomen.
- Arterial - the introduction of a chemotherapy drug into the main artery that feeds the tumor.
- Local is a treatment during which a chemotherapy drug is used in the form of a cream, which is applied to the skin where the neoplasm was.
Innovative chemotherapy methods include intraperitoneal PIPAC and HIPEC . Doctors use them for multiple metastases (carcinomatosis) in the peritoneum.
During HIPEC , doctors inject a heated anticancer drug into the abdominal cavity and remove it after a while. Due to the high temperature, the drug penetrates deep into the organs and destroys more cancer cells than traditional chemo.
With PIPAC, the medicine is sprayed onto the internal organs, which envelops them. Due to the high pressure, small particles penetrate deep into the tumor, which allows you to reduce the dose of chemo.
What are the possible side effects after chemotherapy?
According to the American Cancer Society , side effects occur in most patients, however they may vary from case to case. The most common are:
- nausea and vomiting;
- hair loss;
- weakness;
- loss of appetite;
- hearing impairment;
- lack of coordination;
- disruption of the intestines.
As a rule, if side effects occur, chemotherapy is continued according to the established scheme. Moreover, if the condition worsens, it is possible to review it or completely stop treatment.