Best Low-Cost Cancer (Oncology) Hospitals Abroad: Medical Tourism

Cancer (Oncology) | Medical tourism est. 2015 1150Cancer is one of the most tragic and life threatening diseases of the modern world. There are over 200 recorded types of cancer, many of which may have a fatal outcome if not detected and treated in a timely manner.

Treatments available may vary from one country to the other and also depend on the severity of each individual case. While some patients may successfully fight cancer once and for all, its recursive nature makes it difficult to predict the final result.

That is why regular health check-ups are in place, especially in patients with a family history or inherited faulty genes.

Medical tourism is what can offer relief in such cases. Some patients engage in medical tourism in search for cancer treatment, looking for quality rather than affordability of appropriate remedy.

What is Cancer (Oncology)?

Cancer is a group of medical diseases caused by abnormal cell growth that could potentially spread to other body parts. Cancer cells are characterized by three features: aggressive (because they divide and spread excessively), invasive (because they invade adjacent tissues and other body parts), and metastatic (because they cause damage to other parts of the body).

It is one of the diseases that may or may not be inherited. Hence, its known causes so far range from genetics, chemical infections, diets and exercise, radiation, hormones, substance abuse (such as smoking or alcoholism), or autoimmune diseases.

There are two types of cancer. While benign cancers are not malicious and tend not to invade other body parts, malign cancers are harmful and can have a lethal outcome.

Patients who notice lumps, unusual or abnormal bleeding, prolonged coughing, unexplained or unexpected weight loss or loss of appetite, chills, fatigue, malaise, night sweats, fevers,  or a change in bowel functioning, should visit their doctor due to possibility of these symptoms indicating not only cancer but a range of other medical conditions as well. In each case, proper diagnosis and treatment are required.

Once diagnosed, cancer can be treated in several ways. Not all of them have the same efficiency, however, in some cases, a combination of two or three is in place. Available cancer treatments include chemotherapy, radiation, surgical removal, palliative care, and immunotherapy. Patients are always advised to look for professional medical attention and have their regular health check-ups.

How Many Cancer Types are There?

According to the National Cancer Institute, cancers are usually named after the organs where they form, but they may also be classified according to the type of cells that form them.

That is why the exact number of cancer types cannot be determined, and there are about 200 registered cancer types so far.

Most common cancer types are carcinoma (skin cancer), sarcoma (bone cancer), leukaemia (bone marrow cancer), lymphoma and multiple myeloma (immune system cancer), and malignancy (brain and spinal cord cancer).

On the other hand, the most common cancers in the US are prostate cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer and breast cancer. Other than those, brain cancer is relatively common, as well as cervical cancer, oesophageal cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, kidney cancer, leukaemia, ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, etc.

Can Cancer be Prevented?

There are some evidence that cancer is potentially preventable. In fact, between 70 and 90% of cancers are due to environmental risk factors, such as controllable lifestyle choices.

Over 30% of cancer deaths could be prevented by avoiding risk factors such as smoking, obesity, insufficient diet, physical inactivity, alcoholism, air pollution, and sexually transmitted infections. Understandably, hereditary genetic abnormalities or background radiation cannot be prevented from their natural occurrence, hence cancers caused by these risk factors cannot be prevented.

What Are the Top Countries for Cancer treatment Abroad?

Many patients, when considering medical tourism, are interested in best cancer doctors and surgical oncologists in the world and could opt for either Europe or Asia. On the Medical Tourism Directory you can find information about hospitals offering the best low-cost cancer (oncology) treatments abroad.

European Countries and Cancer Treatment

While there are many European clinics that specialise in cancer treatment, such Quironsalud in Spain that is renowned for its cancer diagnosis and treatment specialists and is actually one of the best cancer hospitals in Europe.

Countries such as Spain, Greece and Turkey offer invaluable therapy options and are easy to reach from both Europe and other countries.

What Cancers are Treatable Abroad?

When cancer patients opt for treatment abroad, it is usually for prostate cancer, breast cancer, bowel cancer, lung cancer, mouth cancer, throat cancer and lip cancer.

Cancer Conditions

Cancer Treatments

  • Alternative therapies.
  • Angiogenesis inhibitors.
  • Bone marrow transplantation (replace damaged bone marrow with healthy bone marrow stem cells); NHS on bone marrow transplantation.
  • Cancer surgery.
  • Chemotherapy (treatment using anti-cancer drugs, cytotoxic).
  • Gene therapy (use genes to treat or prevent a disease instead of using drugs or surgery); GHR on gene therapy; Your genome; ASGCT.
  • Gynecological oncology.
  • High-dose therapy with stem cell rescue.
  • Hormone therapy (cancer treatment by hormone therapy); Cancer research UK; Hormonal therapies.
  • Hyperthermia cancer treatment, thermotherapy, thermal therapy (treating tumors with heat); Cancer treatment.
  • Immunotherapy.
  • Laser therapy.
  • Mohs surgery, Mohs micrographic surgery (treatment of skin cancer).
  • PDT Photodynamic therapy.
  • Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.
  • Radiation therapy, radiotherapy, RT, RTx, XRT (cancer treatment using ionizing radiation); RTA.
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