Cancer treatment in Georgia: what international patients and their families need to know

What does cancer treatment look like for an international patient?

Cancer treatment is rarely a single procedure. It usually has several stages: confirming the diagnosis and the stage of the disease, drawing up a treatment plan, the treatment itself (surgery, drug therapy, radiotherapy or a sequence of these) and follow-up. For an international patient, each stage also raises practical questions: where it will take place, how long it will last and who will continue the follow-up once you are back home.

While you are in Georgia, the Law of Georgia on Patient Rights applies to you too. Under it, you have the right to information about your diagnosis, prognosis, alternative options and risks, as well as the cost of care. State healthcare programmes do not cover foreign visitors, so the cost of treatment is paid by you or your insurer. The rules on state funding of cancer care for Georgian citizens are set out in a separate guide.

How does the process work with us?

The organisational side is similar in every specialty, so here we show only its outline; the details are on the service pages.

1. Records

   You send us the reports, scans and histology you already have; we check that everything is legible and what is missing.

2. Review at the clinic

   With your consent, the file goes only to the licensed clinics you approve; the medical assessment is made by their doctors.

3. Quotes

   The clinics describe the plan and the price in writing; we set out their replies in a single table in your language. This stage is covered by our clinic selection service.

4. Travel and treatment

   Visa, airport pick-up, accommodation, an interpreter and daily contact; this is the job of your personal coordinator.

5. Going home

   Copies of your records, a translation for your doctor at home and contact with the clinic for an agreed period.

The language of your records is not a problem: if they are in a language a Georgian oncologist does not read, our diagnostic report translation service translates them into English or Georgian. We communicate with you in English or Russian, and in other languages through an interpreter.

Confirming the diagnosis: histology, biopsy and PET-CT

In oncology the treatment regimen is built on the histology report: the tumour type, its grade of differentiation, immunohistochemical markers and, if they were done, molecular tests. That is why a Georgian clinic often asks not only for the text of the report but for the material itself, so that it can be re-examined. This is not a matter of mistrust: the pathologist who answers for the plan relies on their own assessment.

Review of histology material

If the clinic asks to review the material, ask your laboratory whether it releases paraffin blocks and stained slides and how you should apply. Some laboratories release them to the patient only on a written request, or send them directly to another laboratory. Before you travel, decide whether you will bring the material yourself or send it by courier; either way, the receiving clinic will tell you how it must be packed.

A new biopsy and new scans

Sometimes the old material is not enough and the doctor orders a new biopsy, for example when a long time has passed since the diagnosis or a new lesion has appeared after treatment. The doctor may also order PET-CT, MRI or another test to confirm the stage. Which test is needed, and whether older images can be used, is decided only by the clinic's specialist. You can help by sending your previous scans as DICOM files: the comparison shows how things have changed and sometimes avoids a repeat scan.

Bear in mind that a new test ordered after you arrive will change both the plan and the price. So when you read a quote, check whether the clinic states that the initial plan is preliminary until you have been examined in person.

Who draws up the treatment plan?

In many clinics, complex cancer cases are discussed jointly by doctors from several disciplines: a surgeon, a medical oncologist, a radiation oncologist, a radiologist and a pathologist. Such a meeting is called a tumour board or multidisciplinary team meeting. The point is that the order of treatment, for example surgery first or drug therapy first, is not decided from the perspective of a single specialist.

When we request a quote, we ask the clinic whether your case will be discussed at such a board and whether you will receive its conclusion in writing. If the board changes the plan after you arrive, you should know the reason for the change and the new cost before you sign. We do not assess the plan itself, nor do we advise you which regimen to choose.

The law gives you the right to seek a second opinion from another doctor or clinic. In oncology this is common practice, and a good doctor will not object. How to prepare your records for such an assessment is described in our second opinion guide.

Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy: how long will you need to stay?

Your travel plan depends on the type of treatment, and we put this question to the clinic as early as the quote stage.

• Surgery. Usually one longer visit: pre-operative tests, hospital stay, discharge and follow-up appointments. The histology result on the removed tissue sometimes arrives after discharge, and it is this result that determines the next steps.
• Drug therapy in cycles. There is an interval between cycles, so three options are considered: staying in Georgia for the whole course, going home between cycles, or receiving the plan and continuing the course in your own country. Which of these is safe is decided by the treating doctor.
• Radiotherapy. Sessions are usually daily and continue for several weeks, so you will need longer-term accommodation close to the clinic and daily transport.

Georgian law requires the patient's written informed consent for chemotherapy and radiotherapy, just as for surgery. This form may be drawn up in Georgian, so we arrange in advance for a medical interpreter to be present when you sign.

Visa and length of stay

If your country is on Georgia's visa-free list, the right to stay for one year will, as a rule, comfortably cover even a long course. For others, an e-visa is issued for a short period, and a short-term visa cannot be extended inside Georgia. There is a separate visa category for treatment (C4), for which a legal entity registered in Georgia, such as a clinic, can issue a notarised invitation. We work out the dates before you travel together with our visa and entry service.

Which records does a Georgian oncologist need?

A complete file brings the preliminary plan closer to the final one. For oncology, these are the records that matter most:

• The histology report with immunohistochemistry and molecular test results, if these were done;
• Scans (CT, MRI, PET-CT, scintigraphy) in DICOM format, with the radiologist's reports, arranged by date;
• Operation notes and discharge summaries, if you have already had surgery;
• The regimen of any treatment already given: which drugs, how many cycles, at what dose and when it ended; for radiotherapy, the treated area and the total dose;
• Recent laboratory test results, including tumour markers if your doctor monitors them;
• Current medicines and other conditions, especially reports on heart, kidney and liver function;
• Your questions and expectations: what you want from the clinic, whether confirmation of the diagnosis, a second opinion or treatment.

What to pack before you travel is covered in a separate checklist.

How can you check that a clinic is authorised to provide cancer care?

A Georgian hospital where patients stay overnight holds a state permit, and certain types of medical activity require a separate licence. These documents are issued by the Regulation Agency for Medical and Pharmaceutical Activities, a state body within the Ministry of Health system. Government Resolution No. 385 of 2010 sets additional conditions for particular specialties, including cancer care, where the conditions concern radiotherapy, chemotherapy and pathology services. Radiological equipment needs one more licence, for nuclear and radiation activities.

We have not found a public online register where you could check a clinic's permit yourself. So this is how we work: before sending your records, we ask the clinic for its permit and licence documents, check whether they cover exactly the service being offered to you and tell you the result. We verify any claim of international accreditation separately and do not repeat it as our own statement. Other criteria for choosing a clinic are set out in our guide to choosing a clinic.

What does a cancer treatment quote include, and what does it leave out?

The total on a cancer treatment quote often covers only one stage, while the treatment itself has several. We do not give figures here, because they depend on the diagnosis, the regimen and the clinic, but the structure is similar everywhere.

The invoice for a course of cancer treatment is issued in your name and you pay it at the clinic; our fee is not part of that invoice and is agreed separately before we start work. During a long course, payment is often made in stages, so we clarify the currency, deadlines and accepted payment methods with the clinic before you travel; you will not be able to pay in Georgia with a Mir card issued in Russia. How to plan your costs is explained in our guide to costs and payment.

Risks: why do insurance and care after discharge matter?

Since 1 January 2026, every tourist arriving in Georgia must have health and accident insurance for the entire stay, with a limit of no less than GEL 30,000 and a policy issued in Georgian or English. This policy is a condition of entry, but it does not usually cover the cancer treatment you have come for. So we check two things: whether the policy meets the entry requirement, and what it covers in an emergency unrelated to your planned treatment. The details are in our insurance guide.

Cancer treatment carries risks that often show up after discharge: infection, changes in blood counts, severe weakness. That is why, before discharge, we ask the clinic for written instructions on which symptoms should prompt a call to the ward and when to call an ambulance on 112. For the recovery period in a hotel or apartment, our post-operative care service arranges a nurse and a caregiver, following the treating doctor's plan.

Going home and continuing treatment

We agree the flight date with the treating doctor before buying the ticket: the decision on whether you are fit to fly is theirs, not ours or the airline's. If the doctor advises against flying for the time being, we change the travel plan, not the other way round.

Your oncologist at home needs the full picture: the final histology report, the operation notes, a list of the cycles or sessions you have had, the board's conclusion and the follow-up plan. You request copies of your records from the clinic in writing, and by law you should receive them within 10 working days, but it is better to have the key documents in hand at discharge. Our discharge summary translation service translates them into your doctor's language.

If you have been prescribed a narcotic or psychotropic medicine for pain relief, Georgian customs allows it in for personal use in a quantity of up to 31 days' supply, and only on presentation of the prescription and a doctor's certificate. Taking a medicine prescribed in Georgia home with you calls for the same care, so we check it before your flight together with our medicines service.

Frequently asked questions about cancer treatment in Georgia