Breast Cancer Treatment in Israel

Breast cancer ranks first among woman oncological diseases and is 16% of all diagnosed oncology cases. It is important to remember that the sooner the disease is revealed, the faster and easier the treatment will be and the more chances woman has to preserve her breast. Today Israel is one of the world leaders according to the number of patients who made a complete recovery from breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Treatment in Israel

D.R.A Medical program includes two stages linked to each other. First there is precise and total diagnosis, then individually chosen treatment.

Prices for Breast Cancer Treatment

BASIC PROTOCOL

• Consultation of oncologist – from $580
• Detailed blood test (general, biochemical, tumor marker) – $285
• PET-CT – $1580
• Biopsy revision – $590
• Mammography + ultrasound – $630
• Surgery (lumpectomy/mastectomy) – from $8000

OTHER PROCEDURES (IF NEEDED)

• Immunohistochemistry test (ER, PR, HER2) – $790

To be diagnosed in the Oncology Department:

You can call us: +972 (77) 4450-480
Or fill in the form - Apply for treatment
Most requests are handled within 24 hours.

Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Clinics in Israel have the most precise and modern equipment that allow diagnosing oncological diseases at the earliest stage. Worth noticing that there is a high-risk group. It includes women whose family members had breast or ovarian cancer. In this case the patient should be examined every year from the age of 25. If there is no family history of cancer then first checkups can be started after 45 years old.

If the woman was diagnosed in another clinic, our doctors reexamine the patient. The specialists strongly advise to their patient to be re-diagnosed in Israel. It is required as there are many examples when patients come for treatment with wrong diagnosis.

In Israel, the most modern technologies are applied for breast cancer diagnosis. Basic diagnostic technique is mammography. It is one of the most exact as, by X-raying, it allows finding new growth in the breast. Besides mammography, US and MRI are used as additional diagnostic means.

Innovative technique for early breast cancer diagnosis in Israel is infrared imaging. Its advantages consist in its painlessness and harmlessness, as X-rays are not used.

Immunohistochemistry test is used as well to diagnose precisely different types of breast cancer in order to prescribe proper guidelines.

Breast Cancer Treatment

As a rule, treatment consists in obligatory, quite intense complex chemotherapy accompanied with radiotherapy.

Recently targeted therapy has been applied, in other words, use of special drugs to destroy and suppress cancerous cells. It can be an independent kind of treatment or in combination with other methods.

Among our specialists on breast cancer treatment there are:

Professor Abraham Kuten – Oncologist. Head of the Oncology Department at Rambam Medical Center;
Professor Ilan Ron – Oncologist. Senior physician in the Oncology Department at Ichilov Medical Center;
Professor Moshe Inbar – Oncologist. Head of the Oncology Department at Ichilov Medical Center;
Professor Moshe Pappa – Oncological surgeon. Head of the Breast Surgery Department at Assuta Medical Center;
Doctor Arie Bitterman – Surgeon. Head of the General Surgery Department at Carmel Medical Center.

Surgery

Regardless of the stage, the treatment must include surgery. The type of operation may vary. At the earlier stages of the disease, when metastases have not spread to inner organs and lymph nodes are not damaged, usually partial excision (lumpectomy) of the breast is conducted. However if there is necessity for complete removal, there are many ways to reconstruct the organ which will be hard to distinguish from natural one. Breast reconstruction is carried out during the surgery so the patient does not need to survive additional operation.

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy is prescribed:

• at the 1-3 stages in preoperational period;
• if the tumor is smaller than 4 cm in diameter;
• if organ-preserving operation is carried out;
• at the 4th stage before the operation, but only individually.

Internal radiotherapy may also be prescribed as additional or independent technique for breast cancer treatment. In this case, radioactive source in the shape of granules or grains is placed into breast tissue. Prescription of brachytherapy (internal radiotherapy) depends on such individual factors as tumor size, location and others.

Chemotherapy

Oncologist can prescribe chemotherapy before the operation and after it, depending on the stage of the disease and type of the operation. Cytotoxic agents are compulsory at the 3rd stage of the disease.  

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy is one of innovative medication methods used for cancer treatment in Israel. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, this technique causes the death of only tumor cells without affecting healthy tissues. Targeted drugs may be combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The technique is successfully applied in treating melanoma, breast cancer and some other cancer types.

One of the latest targeted medicines used in Israel is a drug with trade name “OPDIVO”. The medicine is used when surgery is impossible or ineffective.

Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy is prescribed in cases of hormone-sensitive breast cancer type and its recurrence. It is applied to increase the efficiency of other treatment methods – surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and reduce the risk of recurrence.

Hormone therapy is not prescribed for all the patients. Only oncologist in charge of the case can say whether the patient needs the therapy or not as every technique is highly individual.
 
Remember, if you turn to the specialist in time having the slightest discomfort or breast changes it will help to recover completely. The sooner the specialist will find the tumor, the more chances you have to be cured of cancer and preserve your breast.