Patients who wish to undergo treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma in Israel can expect the highest level of medical services and utmost attention to their needs. The staff at Top Ihilov Medical Center are experienced professionals conducting highly accurate diagnostics using innovative equipment and mastering all modern therapeutic methods for liver oncological pathologies.
For patients in the oncology department of the clinic, maximum comfort conditions are created to promote faster recovery. High-efficiency approaches such as surgical resection, organ transplantation, various ablative methods, and the latest medications are used for treatment here.
Treatment Methods for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Israel
Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common types of oncological liver lesions. The treatment methods for hepatocellular carcinoma in Israel are quite diverse and are selected based on the clinical picture and the patient's condition.
The main type of treatment is surgical. Resection is widely used, although this type of therapy is suitable for only 10-15% of patients (for others, surgery is not indicated due to the extent of the disease or impaired liver function). The main conditions for performing the intervention are the ability to completely remove the neoplasm and leave a sufficient amount of functional tissue of the organ intact.
Transcatheter Chemoembolization — the introduction of a complex of antitumor drugs, embolizing and radiopaque substances into the hepatic artery through a catheter. This allows achieving several goals at once — stopping or slowing the development of the neoplasm at the cellular level, limiting blood flow to it, and visualizing the obtained effect using computed tomography.
Oncologists at Top Ihilov Center possess a wide range of ablative techniques. In radiofrequency ablation, the pathological focus in the liver is destroyed using electrodes inserted into the organ under ultrasound control. This procedure is most effective for patients with tumours smaller than 5 cm. Since the impact on the tissues is targeted, healthy cells are not damaged. Similar advantages are found in cryoablation, where the tumour is destroyed using ultra-low temperatures (freezing a specific area of the organ lasts about 15 minutes, and the temperature reaches -190°C). After this procedure, the patient is discharged from the clinic within 3-4 days. In some cases, chemoablation may be performed — an injection of ethanol is made into the tumour, this procedure is used to destroy neoplasms smaller than 3 cm.
Equally widely used is the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma without surgery — in Israel, a wide range of radiological, chemotherapeutic, and experimental techniques are employed for this purpose. For example, the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma without surgery in Israel using the SIRT method involves the introduction of a radioactive agent, usually a yttrium isotope, into the arteries supplying blood to the liver. Yttrium microspheres kill cancer cells without affecting healthy tissues.
The innovative method HIPEC – a type of chemotherapy that allows targeting only the tumour. A solution of medications heated to 40-42°C is introduced directly into the pathological focus. The advantages of the method are local and more effective action.
Modern targeted therapy involves the use of drugs that contain monoclonal antibodies. They identify proteins in cancer cells and selectively destroy them at the molecular level, without affecting healthy tissues.
Diagnostics of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Israel
The diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in Israel is a comprehensive process aimed not only at identifying the pathology but also at determining its stage, predicting the effectiveness of various therapeutic methods, usually taking 3-4 days.
First Day — Consultation
A clinic staff member — a case manager — meets the patient arriving in the country at the airport, assigned personally to each patient. Together with the case manager, the patient travels to the clinic for a consultation with a specialist.
Second Day — Investigations
On this day, the patient undergoes a complete set of diagnostic procedures.
- CT or MRI is used both for diagnosis and for predicting the effectiveness of surgical intervention (they help determine how widespread the pathological process is, whether complete resection of the tumour is possible, how much healthy tissue will remain intact, etc.).
- Blood tests — general, biochemical.
- Abdominal ultrasound — visualization of neoplasia using ultrasound.
- Liver biopsy — examination of a small fragment of the organ's tissues using a microscope. The sample can be taken laparoscopically, using fine-needle aspiration and endoscopic equipment.
Third Day — Medical Council
The most important stage of diagnosis is the third day when a medical commission gathers. The doctors study the examination data, determine the diagnosis, and choose treatment methods. Preference is given to methods that ensure the most effective treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in Israel, as confirmed by patient reviews of the clinic.
Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Israel — Cost
With the development of international tourism, more and more foreign patients choose to undergo treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma in Israel – the prices for cancer treatment in our country's hospitals are favorably different from clinics in the USA, Italy, Germany, Canada, and Japan. On average, a patient can save up to 45%.
Advantages of Top Ihilov
- Oncologists, hepatologists, radiotherapists, and other specialists working at the clinic have immense experience, their work is published in leading scientific journals, and their expert level is beyond doubt.
- Examinations of patients suspected of having hepatocellular carcinoma are conducted using new, precise equipment — from magnetic resonance imaging systems to electron microscopes.
- For the treatment of the disease, the center employs a full range of modern and effective techniques — resection, transplantation, various methods of ablation, radio- and chemotherapy.
- Patients at the clinic enjoy comfortable and cozy rooms throughout their treatment course, provided with everything necessary.
- A personal case manager handles communication with doctors and medical staff, addressing any arising issues.