The Shemer Medical Center facilitates comprehensive medical and psychological support and care for melanoma patients and their families.

Haifa, Israel - June 15, 2010 Until the recent past, patients suffering from malignant melanoma didn't have much hope if their cancer had metastasized, and all conventional treatment options, including surgery and chemotherapy, had failed.

A leading Israeli medical facility reported in the May issue of Clinical Cancer Research that they discovered an experimental treatment with a high rate of success for melanoma patients, even those who were told they only have a few months to live. This innovative treatment uses the cells from the sick patients' own immune systems to attack and kill the cancerous cells.

The treatment involves taking cells from the patients' immune system (known as tumor- infiltrating lymphocytes). These cells, which kill cancer cells and are found in cancerous organs, are developed in a laboratory and then returned to the patient's body to attack the cancer. Israeli researchers have found that this experimental skin cancer treatment can reduce some tumors and cause others to disappear entirely, delivering new hope and quality of life to Israeli melanoma sufferers.

The treatment center is submitting a request to the Health Ministry to recognize the treatment as non-experimental in patients with terminal cancer.

The implications of this discovery are wide-ranging, as it would allow melanoma patients throughout the world, currently considered terminal, to have the opportunity to come to Israel, undergo treatment and optimally, recover to enjoy increased longevity.

Israel's impressive track record in the oncology field has attracted thousands of cancer patients from around the world, who flock to the country to receive cancer treatments. The Shemer Medical Center – a leading medical tourism provider in Israel for nearly 20 years, specializes in providing patients from around the world with high-standard oncology treatments.  The Center's ties with all of the leading oncology facilities and specialists in Israel enable its patients to receive immediate treatments, performed by the most experienced physicians in the most suitable facilities, based on the type of cancer treatment that the patient requires.

Shemer specializes in the treatment of all types of cancer. In addition to the often-difficult medical aspects of the oncological care, Shemer's psycho-oncology unit provides group relaxation programs, karate sessions, couples' therapy, family intervention, and individual psychological and behavioral therapy - all designed to help patients and their families cope with the overwhelming anxiety related to the disease and its treatment.

Furthermore, each patient is accompanied by a personal medical associate, fluent in their native tongue, throughout their entire stay: from the time that they arrive at the airport, through hotel arrangements, and until they leave the country, Shemer's patients never feel “alone.”

While in Israel, Shemer's patients and their accompanying relatives can opt to receive V.I.P. service at first-class accommodations and participate in tours of the country's numerous cultural and religious attractions, all within an atmosphere that combines the very ancient with the ultra high-tech.

Oncology patients and their families worldwide have found that the personal and medical treatments available at the Shemer Medical Center make it a favorable option for receiving medical tourism services in Israel.

Please visit us at Shemer Medical Center's Oncology Treatment for more information.