The classic treatments for cancer are surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Now, however, there are many other ways to fight cancer. These are available mainly in developed countries. You can travel to Germany to benefit from German cancer treatments. These treatment methods are more efficient and safer. The Booking Health website presents the best cancer hospitals in Germany. You can compare prices, select the most suitable cancer treatment center, and find a treatment program at the best price.
Innovations in cancer surgery
Surgery is becoming more sparing for patients and, at the same time, more efficient. Doctors in Germany perform new types of surgical procedures and use advanced technologies that allow them to more successfully resist oncology.
Endoscopic surgery. In Germany, early-stage tumors can be removed without any skin incisions. Surgical interventions are performed with thin, long instruments that are inserted through the natural openings of the body, for example:
- Through the mouth into the stomach, esophagus, larynx, or bronchi
- Through the anus to the intestines
- Through the urethra to the bladder or ureter
- Through the vagina into the uterus
If the tumor is confined to the mucosa, doctors may perform an endoscopic excision. A patient does not even need a hospital stay.
Keyhole surgery. Increasingly, laparoscopy and thoracoscopy are used to treat cancer. These are operations through short incisions on the abdomen and on the chest, respectively. For some types of cancer, such surgical interventions are no less successful than open ones, but only if the following two conditions are met: the correct selection of patients and the operation performed at an experienced center, whose doctors perform them regularly. Minimally invasive operations speed up rehabilitation, improve the course of the postoperative period, and do not leave any large scars on the abdomen and chest. These can be performed for lung, intestinal, pancreatic, kidney, adrenal, prostate, and other cancers.
Robot-assisted surgery. These operations are performed by a robotic surgical system remotely controlled by a surgeon. They are considered the safest, since the use of robot-assisted technology can further reduce the risk of complications.
Innovative procedures during cancer surgery
When performing operations, cancer specialists in Germany use various therapeutic and diagnostic procedures that increase the effectiveness of treatment. Here are a few examples:
Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Following a cytoreductive surgical procedure to remove tumor foci in the abdominal cavity, doctors rinse it with a heated solution of chemotherapy drugs. These drugs penetrate to a depth of 2-3 mm and destroy the remaining cancer cells. At the same time, they do not penetrate the peritoneal barrier into the systemic circulation and therefore do not cause any severe side effects.
Sentinel lymph node biopsy. This procedure can be used to avoid the removal of many lymph nodes, as this may lead to complications. Doctors inject the radionuclide into the tumor site and then use a gamma camera to check in which lymph nodes the substance accumulates. This means that it is here that the lymph from the tumor flows, which means that metastases will spread here first. These few nodes are removed and examined. If there are no metastases, the removal of other lymph nodes is not required.
Radionavigation. Doctors use a robotic gamma probe to detect radiopharmaceutical accumulation foci in lymph nodes. The procedure is performed during robot-assisted surgery, most often for prostate cancer. This allows doctors to identify and remove all involved lymph nodes, thereby preventing regional cancer recurrence.
Fluorescent diagnostics. This diagnostic option can be used for high-grade brain tumors. It helps distinguish cancer cells from normal ones if they look the same on the outside. Doctors inject a dye that accumulates more intensively in cancer cells due to their increased metabolism. This dye “highlights” the tumor. As a result, neurosurgeons are more likely to be able to remove it completely. The technique can also be used for tumors of other localizations in order to identify lymph nodes affected by metastases.
Other innovations in oncology
Almost all innovative cancer therapies in Germany are available to foreign patients, including immunotherapy, targeted therapy, radiotargeted therapy, stem cell transplants, chemoembolization, radioembolization, various options for tumor ablation, CAR T-cell therapy, etc.
Due to innovations, cancer care in Germany is very effective and allows doctors to cope even with aggressive and advanced tumors. You are welcome to use the Booking Health service if you want to undergo your diagnostics, treatment, and cancer rehabilitation abroad. On our website, you can find prices and choose a treatment program. The cost of medical services for you will be lower due to the absence of high taxes for foreign patients. Our company’s employees will help you select a hospital and organize your trip.
