How blood cancer is treated in Korea

Outcomes, confirmed by national statistics

For people diagnosed with leukemia in Korea between 2019 and 2023, the 5-year relative survival rate is 55.7% (all leukemias, National Cancer Information Center). In US SEER data, the 5-year relative survival rate for leukemia is 68.6% (diagnosed 2016–2022). The mix of leukemias in the two countries differs (acute versus chronic, and age distribution), so a direct comparison is difficult.

Outcomes vary widely by type of blood cancer. Chronic myeloid leukemia is controlled in most patients with an oral targeted drug; Hodgkin lymphoma and some non-Hodgkin lymphomas can be cured with chemotherapy; and in acute leukemia and multiple myeloma, whether a transplant is performed shapes the outcome.

For patients coming from abroad, this means that whether you have bone marrow examination results and genetic and chromosomal test results is central to the review. Those results determine the subtype and risk group.

The treatment path depends on the type of disease and the subtype

Acute leukemia begins induction chemotherapy as soon as it is diagnosed, with a hospital stay of 4–6 weeks, and after remission moves to consolidation chemotherapy or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation depending on risk group. In Korea, donors are sought in this order: siblings, haploidentical donors (a parent or child), then unrelated donors, and experience with haploidentical transplantation is extensive.

For lymphoma, chemotherapy is combined with antibody therapy (such as rituximab) according to subtype, and if the disease relapses, autologous transplantation or CAR-T cell therapy is considered. Multiple myeloma starts with a combination of newer drugs and, if the criteria are met, proceeds to autologous transplantation followed by maintenance therapy.

After a transplant, patients spend 2–4 weeks in a sterile unit until engraftment, and after an allogeneic transplant, frequent outpatient visits continue for about 100 days to manage graft-versus-host disease. We set the timing of your return home and the handover to your doctors there as part of the written opinion.

What international patients actually pay

Totals vary widely by chemotherapy cycle and drug, and transplantation breaks down into conditioning, the transplant itself, the sterile room, immunosuppressants, and donor testing. Allogeneic transplantation costs more than autologous, and we list each item separately in the estimate. CAR-T is quoted separately.

Because the stay is long, accommodation and family costs add up, so we budget them on a weekly basis and build a concierge plan with you from the start. If you proceed to treatment after a pre-arrival review, the review fee is credited against your medical bill.

What is possible in your case

Which subtype and risk group? Is chemotherapy enough, or is a transplant needed? How would a donor be found? If the disease has relapsed, is CAR-T or a newer drug a good fit? The written opinion answers in that order.

Send us your blood tests, bone marrow examination with genetic and chromosomal results, biopsy and PET if it is lymphoma, and your diagnosis. Hematologists will review them and give you a written opinion within 5 business days.

Frequently asked questions

I have acute leukemia — is there time to travel to Korea?

Acute leukemia has to be treated as soon as it is diagnosed, so induction is often given at home first, with Korea considered at the stage where a transplant is needed. We answer with a timeline at the review stage.

What if there is no donor?

The alternatives are a haploidentical transplant from a parent, child, or sibling, a search for an unrelated donor, or cord blood. We set out the available paths in your written opinion.

Where does my family stay?

We arrange a residence within walking distance of the hospital, and an interpreter explains the visiting rules for the sterile unit with you.

How long a stay should I plan for?

Chemotherapy cycles take 4–6 weeks, and transplantation takes 6–8 weeks with outpatient follow-up after that. For allogeneic transplantation, about 100 days is often the benchmark.

Can I receive CAR-T therapy in Korea?

There are approved treatments for some lymphomas and leukemias, and clinical trials are also underway. The written opinion tells you whether you meet the criteria.