Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment in Israel

To help determine the prognosis and choose the best course of treatment, breast cancer cases are delineated into stages on a scale of 0 through IV. The stage of the malignancy is determined by the cancer’s characteristics, such as how large it is and whether or not it has hormone receptors. While stage 0 describes non-invasive cancers that remain within their original location, stage IV metastatic breast cancer is an invasive form of the malignancy that has spread outside the breast to other parts of the body.

In most cases, when not detected or left untreated, breast cancer becomes invasive and spreads through the lining of the milk ducts into the surrounding breast tissue, which complicates treatment. In contrast, when the malignancy remains local and is detected early, the success rate of treatment is exceedingly high.

While about 1 in 8 women worldwide develops breast cancer at one point in their lives, the fatality rates of the disease have been dropping steadily for the past 30 years. The driving force behind this positive trend is precise early screening techniques and innovative treatments.

At Sheba Medical Cancer Center, we make the latest mammography tools available to our patients as part of metastatic breast cancer treatment, and use state-of-the-art imaging and other diagnostic techniques to find and classify the malignancy before it can spread.

A metastatic breast cancer treatment plan can include surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, and radiation therapy.

In recent years, medical research has shed light on some of the main differences between normal cells and cancer cells. These differences, or mutations, cause the latter to grow and spread out of control. This information led to the development of specialized drugs that can precisely identify and attack specific types of cancer cells. When it comes to breast cancer, advanced imaging technology, available in leading medical institutions, can dramatically enhance precise diagnostic capabilities and facilitate the application of tailored lines of treatment using targeted drugs.

Targeted therapy, officially classified as biological treatment, and also known as targeted chemotherapy, is a type of cancer treatment that uses these specialized drugs that target cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. Targeted therapy destroys cancer cells by blocking chemical signals that tell them to grow; changing proteins within the cells so they die; preventing new blood vessels from forming that would otherwise feed cancer cells; triggering the immune system to kill cancer cells; or sending toxins to the cancer cells to destroy them. Since these specialized drugs are made to only target specific cancer cells, targeted drugs can, in many cases, be more effective than chemotherapy, and they often have fewer side effects.

As cancer treatment research continues and advances, new and better targeted therapies are constantly being engineered. At Sheba, our skilled scientists and oncologists lead the way in the clinical application of cutting-edge targeted treatments.

Having discovered a few of the many advantages of getting metastatic breast cancer treatment in Israel, where exactly should you pursue it? Sheba Medical Center is an exceptional choice. One of the 10 best hospitals in the world according to Newsweek magazine, Sheba is dedicated to providing patients with world-class medical care.

The advantages of receiving breast cancer treatment at Sheba Medical Center include:

• Sheba sees over 4,000 breast cancer patients yearly and performed approximately 12,000 mammograms, 51,000 ultrasounds, 3,200 MRIs, and 2,500 biopsies to date: providing its physicians with vast professional experience.
• As a government institution, we have no hidden costs, and our fees are transparent. Although we offer advanced treatments available only in select medical institutions around the world, our prices are affordable.
• Sheba treats each patient as a unique individual, personalizing every therapy program.
• Sheba’s 360-degree care approach to every patient 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.
• Our physicians are actively involved in the latest research and application of progressive treatments.