Oncohematology clinics in Turkey

Unique diagnostic methods for hematology oncology in Turkey

Histology and immunohistochemistry

There are many hematological cancers, and a chance for successful treatment appears only if the type of tumor, its immune status are correctly identified and, if necessary, tests for potential sensitivity to chemotherapy and targeted therapy are carried out. To do this, when diagnosing diseases of this kind, it is necessary to carry out:

• Histological examination (examination of tissue under a microscope);
• Cytological examination (examination of cell scrapings under a microscope);
• Immunohistochemical study (study of mutations and tumor receptors to prescribe the correct treatment);
• If necessary, a molecular profile of the tumor is compiled — mutations and tumor receptors and its sensitivity to all major groups of chemotherapeutic drugs are studied.

Thus, treatment always begins with the drugs that are most effective in a given clinical situation. Due to the high standards of pathomorphological diagnostics, about 30% of diagnoses made in the CIS are invalid, therefore, the histological material of patients from this region, when contacting a Turkish clinic, is subject to mandatory revision.

PET-CT

For correct staging (understanding the prevalence of the oncological process), it is necessary to confirm or exclude the presence of distant metastases. Metastases in oncohematological diseases do not have a typical localization, therefore, standard computed tomography may be ineffective in establishing the stage of the disease. In Turkish clinics, for this purpose, they use the most modern PET-CT 3 Tesla, which can detect metastases up to 2 mm.

Liquid biopsy

This is a technique for determining the presence of micrometastases in the blood using venous blood sampling. It allows you to timely monitor the effectiveness of treatment without invasive diagnostic procedures. Also, with the help of a liquid biopsy, it is possible to carry out additional diagnostic studies of the tumor if necessary.

Benefits of hematology oncology treatment in Turkey

The presence of a single bank of donors

In some cases, during bone marrow transplantation, autotransplantation is possible, but it also often requires a donor. In the CIS countries, bone marrow transplantation from close relatives is possible, but donation from third parties is prohibited. There is no such ban in Turkey, and there is a single donor register. Thus, it is possible to find a suitable donor in the shortest possible time, and there is no hopeless progression of the disease during the time of donor loss.

Use of original drugs

For hematological diseases, the quality of the drugs used is extremely important. In Turkish clinics, generics are practically not used, and strict legislative control of all drugs is carried out, so the likelihood of their falsification is completely excluded. In the CIS, about 40% of the entire pharmaceutical market is counterfeit.

In addition, the cost of chemotherapy drugs in Turkey is 30% lower than in the CIS countries.

Doctors with extensive experience in the use of targeted immune drugs

In the CIS space, these types of therapy have been used for 3-4 years, while Turkish clinics have many years of experience in their use, taking into account the clinical tactics of managing complications and making a decision to cancel or continue the administration of the drug in the presence of side effects. Also in large Turkish clinics there are specialized clinical departments for the treatment of pediatric hematology oncology.