Health insurance companies pay complementary hyperthermia cancer therapy

From 2017, Swiss health insurances will pay for hyperthermia in combination with radiotherapy
With effect from 1 January 2017, the Federal Office of Public Health included hyperthermia treatments in combination with radiation in the basic health benefits catalog. Thus, patients can now bill the costs for this complementary medical form of cancer therapy through the health insurance companies.

In order for hyperthermia to be recognized as a compulsory service in selected indications and for costs to be covered, the Swiss Hyperthermia Network must first assess the intended treatments. This network is a tumor conference with 15 clinics under the management of Aarau Cantonal Hospital. This clinic has been using hyperthermia for selected superficial and deep-seated tumors for more than 30 years. For example, in this multimodal, clinical oncology treatment in conjunction with radio therapy, breast cancer may additionally be treated with surface hyperthermia or bladder cancer in addition to deep hyperthermia.

"It is an international signal if Switzerland now makes hyperthermia available to many patients because the health insurances now pay the costs as a compulsory service. Because cancer affects many. Many patients also seek additional ways of treatment. And in oncology, heat therapy can be applied co-medically ", says Prof. Dr. med. András Szász, founder of oncothermia, the locally oriented form of hyperthermia. (Pm)