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Specialty · 8,287 accredited hospitals

Oncology

Comprehensive cancer care including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy.

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Linear accelerator used for radiotherapy in a cancer treatment room
Hospitals
8,287Hospitals
Treatments
59Treatments
Destinations
9Destinations
From
$418From

01 · Procedures

Treatments in Oncology

All treatments

02 · Featured hospitals

Centres of excellence for Oncology

03 · Surgeons

Surgeons working in Oncology

All surgeons

04 · Where to go

Destinations for Oncology

Oncology in India 3,339 hospitals Country guide
Oncology in Germany 2,144 hospitals Country guide
Oncology in Thailand 1,429 hospitals Country guide
Oncology in Turkey 675 hospitals Country guide
Oncology in South Korea 297 hospitals Country guide
Oncology in Malaysia 245 hospitals Country guide
Oncology in Saudi Arabia 55 hospitals Country guide
Oncology in Singapore 53 hospitals Country guide
Oncology in United Arab Emirates 50 hospitals Country guide

Outcomes at a glance

What patients in oncology care typically see

Averages across the 59 procedures in this specialty. Your case manager will quote outcomes specific to your indication and chosen surgeon.

86.6%Avg success · across 53 procedures
7.6 daysHospital stay · median across the specialty
6 wkRecovery · to full activity
8,287Hospitals · in 9 destinations

Society guidelines · current edition

Sub-specialties

Within oncology

Surgical oncology

Tumor resection by organ system — head and neck, breast, GI, GU, gynecologic, sarcoma, hepatobiliary.

Medical oncology

Systemic therapy management — chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy. Hormonal therapy where applicable.

Radiation oncology

IMRT, VMAT, SBRT, brachytherapy, proton therapy. Modality choice depends on cancer type and proximity to critical structures.

Hematology / blood cancers

Leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma. Bone marrow transplant and CAR-T for selected cases.

Pediatric oncology

Specialized programs for childhood cancers. Long-term follow-up planning is intense.

Palliative oncology

Quality-of-life-focused care; symptom management when curative intent isn't appropriate.

Program quality

What to look for

  • Multidisciplinary tumor board meeting weekly; recommendations in writing.
  • Pathology lab capable of full molecular profiling (HER2, EGFR, BRAF, BRCA, MSI, PD-L1, comprehensive genomic profiling).
  • Treatment regimens benchmarked against published guidelines for your specific cancer.
  • Annual case volume on your specific cancer (not just 'cancer treatment').
  • Clinical trial access for relevant indications.
  • Supportive care infrastructure (antiemetic protocols, neutropenic support, transfusion access).
  • Communication infrastructure for shared care with home oncologist.

Volume thresholds

Surgeon volume benchmarks

150+ cases/year on specific cancerTop-tier; outcomes typically reach published gold-standard ranges
75–150/yearStrong; near-top-tier outcomes
30–75/yearModerate; outcomes acceptable for routine cases
Under 30/year on specific cancerLower volume; consider higher-volume program for complex cases

Destinations

Where this is commonly done

India

Tata Memorial (Mumbai), HCG (multi-city), Max Cancer Care, Apollo. Strong tumor boards, full molecular workup, cost-effective biosimilars.

Turkey

Anadolu, Acıbadem run JCI-accredited oncology with strong radiation therapy infrastructure including proton centers in development.

Germany

Charité, Heidelberg, Hannover — world-class for proton therapy, complex oncologic surgery, clinical trials access.

Thailand

Bangkok Hospital and Bumrungrad for elective resection and follow-up.

Korea

Asan Medical Center and Samsung run high-volume programs with strong outcomes.

Patient journey

The typical care flow

  1. Tissue diagnosis + staging

    Biopsy, imaging (CT/MRI/PET as relevant), molecular markers, performance status assessment.

  2. Tumor board review

    Multidisciplinary discussion: surgery, medical, radiation, pathology, radiology jointly recommend approach.

  3. Treatment plan

    Sequence of surgery, systemic therapy, radiation. Goal documented (curative, prolonging, palliative).

  4. Treatment delivery

    Per protocol — typically 4-8 chemo cycles + radiation + surgery as relevant. 4–9 months total.

  5. Surveillance

    Restaging at 3, 6, 12 months. Tumor markers, imaging. Care continuity to home oncologist.

Questions

What to ask the program

  1. Has my case been to tumor board, and can I see the recommendation in writing?
  2. What molecular markers have been tested on my tissue, and which determined the treatment plan?
  3. What's the goal of this treatment — curative, prolonging, or palliative — and how is success measured?
  4. What's your annual volume on my specific cancer?
  5. What's the side-effect profile of this regimen, and what's the supportive-care plan?
  6. How will my home oncologist receive treatment summary and continue care?

Decision check

Is this specialty right for your case?

  • Is your diagnosis confirmed with full pathology including molecular markers?
  • Has staging been completed?
  • Has your case been to tumor board?
  • Is your home oncologist willing to coordinate ongoing care?
  • Can you commit to a 4-9 month treatment arc with follow-up?

05 · FAQ

Common questions about Oncology abroad

How do I pick a hospital for Oncology?

Start with three filters: annual case volume for the specific procedure (not the specialty as a whole), the surgeon's personal experience with your condition, and what the follow-up plan looks like for months 3–12 after you're back home. Hospital brand matters less than the specific team you'll be under.

What's the cost difference between countries for oncology?

Cost differences between destinations for oncology can run 3–10× depending on the procedure and the country. The gap is usually driven by surgeon/labor costs and facility overhead rather than technology or outcomes — many mid-cost destinations run the same equipment as premium markets.

Is a second opinion worth it before booking oncology?

For most elective procedures in oncology, yes. A multidisciplinary review often changes the treatment recommendation — sometimes away from surgery, sometimes toward a different approach. We coordinate free second opinions across our partner programs before any travel is booked.

How long should I plan to be abroad for oncology treatment?

Plan for the procedure + the first follow-up to happen before you fly back. Simple procedures can be a 1–2 week trip; complex surgery often needs 3–6 weeks. Your coordinator will give you a date-specific plan once your clinical details are in.

What happens if I have a complication after flying home?

A good program will have a clear follow-up pathway: direct messaging with the surgical team, imaging sharing, and — in the rare case of a serious complication — a pathway for return or for local handoff to a partner hospital. Ask about this specifically before booking; ambiguity here is the single biggest red flag.

Specialty depth

How to shortlist a credible oncology specialist

A board certification in oncology is the floor, not the ceiling. Senior practice in this field is sub-specialised — the right surgeon for your case is the one whose volume, fellowship, and audit data line up with the specific operation you need.

Sub-specialties to be aware of

Surgical oncology

Solid-tumour resection — breast, GI, GU, head-and-neck, sarcoma, hepatobiliary. Sub-specialised by organ system at credible centres.

Medical oncology

Chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy regimens — increasingly biomarker-driven (HER2, EGFR, BRCA, PD-L1, MSI).

Radiation oncology

External beam (IMRT, VMAT, SBRT), brachytherapy, proton therapy where available, stereotactic radiosurgery for CNS.

Haematology / BMT

Leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma; allogeneic and autologous stem-cell transplant; CAR-T cell therapy at top-tier centres only.

Paediatric oncology

Neuroblastoma, Wilms', osteosarcoma, paediatric leukaemia/lymphoma — credentialled separately from adult.

How outcomes get measured

  • 5-year overall survival, stratified by stage at diagnosis — the only meaningful comparator.
  • Disease-free survival and time-to-recurrence for curative-intent treatment.
  • R0 resection rate (negative margins) for surgical oncology.
  • Treatment-related mortality and major-toxicity rate for systemic therapy.
  • Multidisciplinary tumour-board review rate — a credibility signal in itself.

What a credible specialist looks like

  • Genuine multidisciplinary tumour boards held weekly with surgery, medical onc, radiation onc, pathology, and radiology in one room.
  • In-house molecular pathology — every cancer should be sequenced for actionable mutations before systemic therapy starts.
  • Active enrolment in clinical trials (NCCN, ESMO, regional cooperative groups) — not a marketing line, look it up on clinicaltrials.gov.
  • Pathology second-read on outside biopsies as default policy, not on request.
How this page is made

Methodology and editorial standards

This oncology hub draws on 8,287 accredited hospitals running active oncology programs across 9 destinations.

  1. Hospital data. Accreditation, licences and facilities are checked against public registries (JCI, NABH, health-ministry licence lists) and hospital documents, and rechecked regularly.
  2. Doctor credentials. Qualifications and specialty come from the doctor's hospital profile and national medical council registers.
  3. Prices. Price ranges come from written hospital quotes and packages, not advertised rates.
  4. Clinical text. Written by our editorial team and checked against current published guidelines before it goes live.
  5. Independence. Hospitals cannot pay to change their position on our pages.
Data sources for this page
JCI accreditation registryNational medical council subspecialty registriesPeer-reviewed publication recordOncology society guidelines (most recent edition)

Oncology care

Continue exploring oncology

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