Do CAR T-cell Treatment Costs Have to Be Exorbitant?

On average, cancer treatment in Israel costs 30-80% less than in the US

CAR T-cell therapy is an innovative procedure that makes use of your own immune system to seek and destroy cancerous cells. After some blood is taken from the patient, the T-cells, a type of immune cell, are separated from the rest of the blood in a special laboratory. The T-cells are then genetically engineered to produce chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). The engineered T-cells are then given some time to multiply in the laboratory and are later injected back into the patient. The CARs allow the T-cells to recognize, target and destroy cancer cells. The whole process takes approximately 10 days, but patients are hospitalized for a minimum of 2 weeks to monitor toxicities. Unfortunately, as a novel advanced treatment, CAR T-cell is only available in a handful of medical institutions worldwide, and tends to be very expensive.

CAR T-cell Treatment Cost in Israel

In many countries, healthcare costs are often exorbitant without insurance, particularly when dealing with treatments that are cutting-edge, but limited in availability, such as CART T-cell immunotherapy. Costs are much lower in Israel, averaging 30-80% less than in the US, for example. That said, you’re not trading affordability for quality, since Israeli specialists, medical institutions, equipment, and procedures are among the most advanced in the world.

Where to Pursue CAR T-cell Treatment in Israel

Besides affordable CAR T-cell treatment costs, other benefits of traveling to Israel for treatment are the high quality of care and the availability of advanced procedures. Considering CAR T-cell treatment in Israel? Sheba Medical Center is an excellent choice. As the largest hospital in Israel, Sheba is dedicated to providing patients with world-class medical care.

The advantages of receiving CAR T-cell treatment at Sheba Medical Center include:

• As a government institution, we have no hidden costs, and our fees are transparent. Although we offer advanced treatments that are available only in select medical institutions around the world, our prices are affordable.
• Sheba offers CAR T-cell treatment to multiple myeloma and leukemia patients and is the first medical center in the world to pioneer its application for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
• Sheba’s 360-degree care approach to every patient, which means that Sheba’s professionals will assist you with arranging medical record reviews, travel, visas, accommodations, and language interpretation as needed.
• Sheba has full accreditation from the Joint Commission International (JCI), the premier international healthcare accrediting group. 
• Sheba has both advanced treatment and laboratory facilities. At Sheba, patients receive every aspect of their treatment in a single facility.
• Top-notch facility: Sheba is home to the Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, a modern facility devoted entirely to cancer immunotherapy research and treatment.

Sam Turel’s Story – CAR T-cell Treatment at Sheba Medical Center

“Like a bolt from the blue”- that was Sam Turel’s reaction when he was first diagnosed with chronic lymphoproliferative disease. Sam had enjoyed an active full life, but when he was given his diagnosis he fell into despair. After years of initial treatments slowed him down, he was later diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). It was time to seek an advanced treatment method, and Sam chose Sheba for CAR T-cell therapy.

According to Sam: “I was aware of treatment options such as CAR T-cell therapy, and my neurosurgeon brother suggested getting treatment at Sheba Medical Center in Israel. We had explored other international hospitals, such as MD Anderson in Houston, TX, but they only had a program to treat DLBCL with CAR T-cell therapy, or a 2-year clinical trial to treat both DLBCL and CLL. The latter was an experimental program spread out over a long period that required temporary relocation to the United States. Sheba Medical Center had a program to treat both DLBCL and CLL with CAR T-cell therapy. Because of their on-site lab, the entire treatment would take 8-10 weeks at most. Additionally, the cost of the treatment in Israel was much more affordable than in the US.” After receiving CAR T-cell therapy at Sheba, Sam’s CLL went into full remission. Click here to read more about Sam’s story.