1 to 3: the basis, the people, the place
- Under what legal basis is the treatment given? Approved drug, registered clinical trial, authorized program under a named framework, or an individual treatment attempt. Ask for the registration or authorization reference and check it.
- Who are the treating physicians, and can I see their credentials? Names, specialties, institutions. For a neurosurgical disease, ask specifically who does the neurosurgery and where.
- Where are surgery, radiotherapy and emergencies handled? Some providers are outpatient immunotherapy centers; if you have a seizure or a bleed, you go elsewhere. Ask which hospital, how far, and who coordinates.
4 to 6: tissue, timing, evidence
- What tissue and records do you need? Paraffin blocks, frozen tissue, or a new biopsy; MRI images, pathology, medication list. Lysate-based vaccines need frozen tissue; sequencing-based ones usually do not.
- How does the treatment fit with my standard care? When must it start relative to surgery and radiotherapy, can my radiotherapy be done at home or must it be done there, and what happens to my temozolomide schedule.
- What are the published results? Ask for the paper or registry entry, the number of patients, the endpoint, the comparison group and the follow-up length. See how to read treatment numbers.
7 to 9: eligibility, time, money
- Do I qualify, and what would exclude me later? Performance status, steroid dose, organ function, tumor location, prior treatments.
- What is the full timeline? Days in hospital, days as an outpatient, total weeks in the country, number of return visits, and what is done remotely afterward.
- What exactly does the price include? Ask for an itemized written estimate: review, sequencing, manufacturing, each dose, hospital days, surgery, radiotherapy, imaging, drugs, interpreting, accommodation, transfers. Ask what is excluded and what commonly gets added.
10 to 12: if it stops, after you leave, who to call
- What happens if treatment has to stop? Progression on a scan, a complication, or your own decision. What is refunded, who decides, and what care continues.
- How does follow-up with my home oncologist work? Which reports you receive, in which language, whether the team will speak with your doctor, and for how long remote follow-up continues.
- Who do I contact, and when? A named coordinator, a 24-hour number during the stay, response times by email afterwards.
- 1Records review at homeRemote; report and written estimate in about a week.
- 2Flight to BeijingA coordinator meets you at the airport.
- 3Train to BeidaiheUnder two hours; Yifang Hospital in the pilot zone.
- 4Treatment stayAbout 12 to 14 weeks: assessment, sequencing, manufacturing, three doses.
- 5Home with follow-upReports in your language; remote review of scans in the first year.
Timing is planned by the multidisciplinary team for each patient.
| Green flag | Red flag |
|---|---|
| Registration or authorization number you can look up | "Approved" or "certified" with nothing to look up |
| Named physicians with checkable credentials | Anonymous "team of experts" |
| Published results with patient numbers and endpoints | Cure rates or testimonials in place of data |
| Itemized written estimate before any payment | Deposit required before a plan or estimate |
| Treatment added to standard care | Advice to skip or delay surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy |
| Written refund and stop rules | "We will sort it out later" |
Red flags
- Cure rates or "success rates" without a paper behind them.
- Pressure to pay a deposit before a written plan and estimate.
- Advice to skip or delay surgery, radiotherapy or temozolomide.
- No named physician, or physicians whose credentials cannot be checked.
- Prices quoted only by an intermediary, not by the provider.
How we answer these questions
Our answers to all twelve are on the program page: regulatory basis, team, hospitals, eligibility, timeline, costs and follow-up. The records review is remote and free of obligation, and the written report says plainly if the team thinks the program is not right for a given patient.
Questions families ask
Should I tell my home oncologist I am considering treatment abroad?
Yes, early. A good oncologist will help you evaluate it and will need to coordinate timing and follow-up. If your oncologist is dismissive without reading the material, a second opinion from a neuro-oncology center is reasonable.
How do I check an authorization or registration reference?
Trials: look up the number on ClinicalTrials.gov or the national registry. Programs: ask for the authorizing body and the document, and ask the provider to show you the inspection or filing record. If they cannot, that is your answer.
Is an intermediary agency a good idea?
Agencies can help with logistics, but prices they quote include their margin, and their outcome claims are marketing. Get the provider's own written estimate and published data, and compare.
Related guides
- What glioblastoma treatment abroad costs, and what the quote should include
- How to find and judge a glioblastoma clinical trial
- Newly diagnosed glioblastoma: what to do in the first two weeks
Sources
- National Brain Tumor Society: questions to ask your care team braintumor.org
- American Brain Tumor Association: Glioblastoma abta.org
- 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.