The three layers of cost
- The added treatment: the vaccine or drug, its manufacturing, each dose, monitoring and the combination drugs given with it. This is what most providers mean by "the price".
- Hospital care: consultations, surgery if done there, radiotherapy if done there, MRI and blood tests, inpatient days, nursing, standard drugs such as temozolomide and anti-seizure medication, and emergency care.
- Living costs: flights for patient and companion, accommodation for the whole stay, meals, local transport, medical interpreting, and the companion's time away from work.
A quote that covers only layer one can look cheap while the total is not.
Typical ranges in 2026, from public sources
- German private dendritic-cell clinics: about €20,000 to €38,000 for the vaccination itself per medical-travel listings, with surgery, chemoradiation and repeated travel extra.
- US private care without a trial: hospital charges for surgery and chemoradiation alone commonly exceed US$100,000 for foreign patients; investigational vaccines are not sold.
- Clinical trials: the investigational treatment is free; standard care and living costs are yours.
- Our program in China: a written quote after the records review covering review, sequencing, manufacturing, hospital care and surgery where indicated; living packages optional; the Survivin mRNA-LNP route at roughly one-tenth of the cell-vaccine component. Hospital and living costs in China are a fraction of US or German private rates.
These are third-party figures that change; treat them as orders of magnitude.
| German private clinic | US or UK trial | China: Tricision program | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layer 1: added treatment | Priced: about €20,000–38,000 per public listings | Free | In the written quote |
| Layer 2: hospital care | Bought separately at German private rates | Standard care billed as usual | In the written quote; Chinese hospital rates |
| Layer 3: living costs | Yours; repeated trips | Yours; months near the center | Optional packages or arranged yourself |
| Insurance | Not for the vaccine | Not for the trial drug; standard care may be covered | Not covered |
What insurance does and does not cover
Private insurers and national health systems do not pay for investigational treatments, including vaccines given in trials or authorized programs. Some will cover standard care delivered abroad in an emergency, and most will continue to cover standard care at home before and after. Travel insurance usually excludes treatment of a known condition. Ask your insurer in writing before you go, and keep every itemized bill: some patients recover part of the standard-care component later.
How to read an estimate
- Is it itemized, with each line priced?
- Does it state the number of hospital days and the daily rate, and what happens if more are needed?
- Are surgery and radiotherapy included, optional, or assumed to be done at home?
- Are imaging, laboratory tests and standard drugs included?
- Is interpreting included, and for which sessions?
- What is the payment schedule, and what is refunded if treatment stops after a scan shows progression?
- Is the currency fixed, and are bank charges yours?
Ways to reduce cost without reducing care
- Have surgery and radiotherapy at home where they are covered, and travel for the added treatment only, if the program allows it.
- Ask whether a lower-cost route exists; in our program the LNP vaccine is about one-tenth the price of the cell vaccine for patients the team considers suitable.
- Choose living arrangements by need: a serviced apartment near the hospital often costs less than a hotel over three months.
- Ask about fixed-price packages for living costs, which remove the risk of open-ended daily charges.
What we do
We do not publish a list price because the estimate depends on whether surgery is needed and on the treatment plan. After the records review you receive an itemized written estimate with the multidisciplinary team's report, before any decision or payment. No fee is due until you accept it. Details are in the costs section.
Questions families ask
Can I pay in instalments?
Ask the provider. Hospital charges are often billed per stage, so payment follows treatment rather than being due in full in advance. Be wary of anyone who requires the full amount before the first consultation.
Are there charities or funds that help with treatment abroad?
Some national brain tumor charities give travel grants, and crowdfunding is common. None that we know of pays for investigational treatment itself. Ask the charity in your country.
What if my treatment is stopped early?
Ask for the refund terms in the service agreement before paying. In our program, cancellation and refund terms are set out in the agreement you receive with the estimate.
Related guides
- Twelve questions to ask before glioblastoma treatment abroad
- Dendritic-cell and mRNA vaccines for glioblastoma: how they work and what is proven
- Living with glioblastoma during treatment: steroids, seizures, fatigue, caregivers and follow-up
Sources
- Booking Health: dendritic cell vaccine for glioblastoma in Germany, cost 2026 (third-party listing) bookinghealth.com
- Tricision: what it costs tricisioncare.com
- Tricision comparison of routes abroad tricisioncare.com
Considering treatment in China?
Send the patient's records for a remote review. A coordinator confirms receipt within one business day; the multidisciplinary team's report and a written estimate follow in about a week, before any decision or payment.