Cancer treatment in Istanbul for patients from Russia

Istanbul is one of the closer major oncology hubs to Russia — a short flight from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and several regional cities, with hospital protocols benchmarked against European and US practice. Several of our reviewing doctors consult in Russian, and reports in Russian can be reviewed without a separate translation step slowing your case down.

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Getting from Russia to Istanbul

Flights

Direct or one-stop flights connect Istanbul with Moscow and a number of other major Russian cities, typically in the range of 3–4.5 hours nonstop depending on origin. We'll confirm the current best routing for your specific city once you tell us where you're flying from.

Visa

Visa requirements depend on your specific passport, purpose of travel, and current bilateral arrangements between Turkey and Russia, which can change. Rather than state a rule here that might be out of date by the time you read it, we check what applies to your situation as part of the free second-opinion process, before you need to book anything.

Language support

Four of our reviewing doctors — breast, GI, thoracic and gynecologic oncology — consult with Russian-language support, and patient reports written in Russian are read directly by the reviewing physician.

Insurance and reimbursement, honestly

Russia's compulsory state medical insurance (OMS) is built to fund care within the Russian public system — it is not designed to, and generally does not, cover elective treatment sought abroad. Some patients hold separate voluntary private insurance (DMS) or an employer-provided policy that includes international coverage; whether it applies to a specific hospital, protocol, or country is set by that policy's own terms, not by anything we can determine for you.

If you have private or employer insurance, the only reliable way to know what's covered is to ask your insurer directly, in writing, before you travel — including whether they require pre-authorization, a specific network of hospitals, or particular documentation to reimburse.

We don't process insurance claims, negotiate with insurers, or guarantee any reimbursement. What we can do is give you itemized invoices and medical documentation from the treating hospital that you can submit to your own insurer yourself. This is general information, not insurance advice — always check the specific wording of your own policy.