Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov)
Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov)
Israel, Tel Aviv
Ofer Merimsky
41 years of experience
accreditations :
Clinic is certified :
Melanoma surgery in Israel typically costs from $9,200 to $21,000. Final pricing depends on the tumor stage, surgical technique, and the chosen medical facility. In the United States, similar procedures cost around $20,000 on average. Patients save around 54% compared to US prices. Inclusions often cover the surgical procedure, specialist consultations, and standard preoperative diagnostics at major centers in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Bookimed Expert Insight: Expert care in Israel often includes access to world-renowned researchers. Hadassah Medical Center and Sourasky Medical Center are both JCI-accredited and ranked by Newsweek. While surgery starts around $9,200, choosing departments led by Forbes-listed specialists like Dr. Dov Zippel ensures high-tier precision. For advanced cases, budgeting for immunotherapy at Shaba may be the smartest move for long-term outcomes.
Why do patients choose Israel for melanoma surgery?
Access advanced Melanoma surgery solutions in trusted clinics .
| Israel | Turkey | Austria | |
| Melanoma surgery | from $9,200 | from $3,500 | from $9,500 |
| Mohs microsurgery | from $3,200 | from $2,200 | from $4,000 |
| Wide excision of melanoma | from $13,500 | from $4,000 | - |
| Topical therapy of melanoma | - | from $1,450 | - |
Day 1 - Arrival
Day 2 - Pre-Operation
Day 3 - Surgery
Day 4-7 - Post-Operation
Week 1-2 - Rehabilitation
Week 3-6 - Rehabilitation
Please note that these timelines may vary depending on individual recovery rates and the complexity of the surgery.
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Prof. Merimsky heads the Soft Tissue and Bone Oncology Unit at Sourasky Medical Center, specializing in complex melanoma cases.
Dr. Dov Zippel is a surgical oncologist and head of the Meirav Breast Center. Forbes Israel named him to its Best Doctors list in 2025. He treats benign and malignant breast tumors and melanoma at Sheba Medical Center. Dr. Zippel completed a surgical oncology fellowship at the University of Calgary in Canada.
Prof. Eli Sprecher heads the Department of Dermatology at Sourasky Medical Center – Israel's largest hospital. Specializes in genetic dermatological conditions.
Choosing Israel for melanoma surgery ensures access to world-leading oncologists and breakthrough research protocols. Israeli facilities like Sourasky Medical Center and Hadassah Medical Center utilize multidisciplinary care, offering specialized procedures like Mohs microsurgery and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes therapy for complex or metastatic cases.
Bookimed Expert Insight: Israeli oncology centers demonstrate elite efficiency by concentrating diagnosis and surgical planning into a 72-hour window. While early-stage surgeries are standard, Israel’s true advantage is for Stage IV melanoma patients. Centers like Hadassah use patient-derived tissues to develop personalized immunotherapies not available elsewhere.
Patient Consensus: Patients value Israel as a top destination for refractory melanoma when standard treatments fail. They specifically highlight the availability of experimental TIL trials and nano-vaccine research as life-changing options.
Surgeons in Israel perform wide local excision, sentinel lymph node biopsy, and lymph node dissection to treat melanoma. Specialized facilities also offer Mohs micrographic surgery for facial tumors and isolated limb infusion for advanced cases. Leading JCI-accredited centers in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem integrate these surgeries with neoadjuvant immunotherapy.
Bookimed Expert Insight: Israeli oncology centers like Sourasky Medical Center manage 40,000 cancer patients yearly, creating a high-volume environment for rare melanoma subtypes. This scale allows surgeons to offer slow-Mohs and neoadjuvant therapies that shrink tumors before surgery. These combined approaches often make complex cases treatable while improving aesthetic outcomes for patients.
Patient Consensus: Patients value how Israeli specialists prioritize tissue preservation, especially for facial melanoma, by utilizing precise Mohs techniques. Many also appreciate the seamless integration of surgical plans with personalized immunotherapy trials for advanced stages.
International patients seeking melanoma surgery in Israel follow a streamlined process involving digital case review, financial planning, and specialized oncological consultation. Patients typically submit translated medical records for evaluation by multidisciplinary teams at JCI-accredited centers like Sourasky or Assuta to confirm treatment eligibility before traveling.
Bookimed Expert Insight: Israeli oncology centers like Sourasky Medical Center manage high patient volumes, treating 40,000 cancer cases annually. This concentration of expertise allows for specialized techniques like isolated limb perfusion that are often unavailable at smaller regional clinics. When choosing a facility, prioritize those offering both surgical and advanced immunotherapy options under one roof to ensure a seamless transition if your treatment plan changes after the initial biopsy.
Patient Consensus: Patients emphasize contacting medical tourism departments directly since standard local pathways are unavailable. Success relies on having digital records ready for upload to secure a quick 24-hour response for virtual reviews.
Israel utilizes advanced multidisciplinary approaches to minimize scarring during melanoma surgery, including Mohs microsurgery and integrated plastic surgery reconstruction. Specialized centers like Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov) and Hadassah Medical Center employ techniques like elliptical excision and tension-relief systems to ensure optimal functional and aesthetic healing.
Bookimed Expert Insight: While many clinics offer laser scar revision 12 months post-surgery, the most effective aesthetic results in Israel stem from the initial surgical setup. Choosing a facility like Hadassah Medical Center, where surgeons like Dr. Meni Brakha perform immediate reconstruction using local flaps, significantly reduces the need for secondary scar correction procedures later.
Patient Consensus: Patients emphasize that success depends on diligent sun protection and massage techniques after stitches are removed. Many recommend verifying that your surgical team includes a dedicated plastic surgeon for the closure phase.
PET/CT scans are widely available in Israel as the gold-standard diagnostic tool for staging melanoma and detecting metastasis. Major JCI-accredited clinics in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem utilize advanced imaging to guide multidisciplinary surgical plans, ensuring accurate identification of tumor spread before complex lymph node procedures.
Bookimed Expert Insight: While many facilities offer imaging, Assuta Medical Center differentiates itself by completing the entire PET-CT diagnostic cycle in under 72 hours. This speed is critical for melanoma patients, as it allows surgeons like Dr. Dov Zippel to move from diagnosis to surgical intervention without delay, which is a key factor in improving long-term outcomes.
Patient Consensus: Patients emphasize that while PET-CT highlights metabolic activity, a biopsy remains mandatory to confirm findings. Many noted that positive scan results occasionally reflect inflammation rather than cancer spread.