Mammary gland cancer treatment and diagnostics abroad

Breast cancer (mammary gland cancer) is the most common cancer in women; in men it is about a hundred times rarer. Found at an early stage, it is curable in most cases, and modern treatment increasingly allows the breast to be preserved.

Below are clinics abroad that treat breast cancer: compare cancer centres, doctors and prices for diagnostics, surgery and chemotherapy.

Risk factors

• age — the risk rises after 40, and most cases are diagnosed after 50;
• breast or ovarian cancer in close relatives, BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations;
• early first period, late menopause, no pregnancies or a first birth after 30;
• long-term hormone replacement therapy;
• excess weight after menopause, alcohol, low physical activity;
• previous radiation to the chest.

At the same time, many women with breast cancer have no known risk factors, which is why regular mammography matters.

Symptoms

• a lump in the breast or armpit;
• a change in breast size or shape;
• a retracted nipple or nipple discharge, especially bloody;
• skin changes — redness, swelling, "orange peel" skin.

Early stages often cause no symptoms and may be detected by screening before symptoms develop.

Diagnosis

• mammography and breast ultrasound;
• breast MRI — for selected high-risk screening or when additional imaging is needed; it is not routine before every breast-conserving operation;
• ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy — confirms the diagnosis and the tumor subtype: hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive or triple-negative;
• PET-CT or CT — to assess spread in locally advanced disease;
• genetic testing — when there is a strong family history.

Breast cancer treatment abroad

• Breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) followed by radiotherapy, or mastectomy; sentinel lymph node biopsy often avoids removing all armpit nodes.
• Breast reconstruction — at the same time as mastectomy or later, using the patient's own tissue or implants.
• Chemotherapy — before surgery (neoadjuvant) or after it, depending on subtype and stage.
• Hormone therapy — for hormone receptor-positive tumors, usually for 5–10 years.
• Targeted therapy and immunotherapy — anti-HER2 drugs for HER2-positive cancer, CDK4/6 inhibitors, immunotherapy for triple-negative cancer.
• Radiotherapy — after breast-conserving surgery and when lymph nodes are involved.

In early stages, five-year survival exceeds 90%. After treatment, follow-up is tailored to the individual and may include annual mammography of remaining breast tissue; routine mammography is generally not needed on the mastectomy side, while new findings require assessment.

Why patients choose treatment abroad

• breast centres with a team of surgeon, oncologist, radiation oncologist and plastic surgeon;
• access to modern targeted drugs;
• breast-conserving surgery and reconstruction;
• a second opinion on pathology and the treatment plan.

See clinics in the mammology and oncology sections.

Send a request with your test results — Clinics Direct coordinators will obtain an oncologist's opinion and treatment prices from several clinics free of charge.