After a leukemia diagnosis, many families ask themselves the same question: should we get treatment here or go abroad? This topic explains how leukemia care is organised in different countries, what is available in Azerbaijan, and which steps to take, which documents to prepare and which questions to ask if you are thinking about treatment or a second opinion abroad.
Last updated: ~15 min read
Figure 1.Concept: leukemia care is organised differently in different countries but rests on the same knowledge.
01Short answer
Leukemia treatment around the world is based on similar international guidelines; the differences between countries are mostly about organisation: specialised hematology centres, access to molecular tests and medicines, transplant services and how care is paid for. In Azerbaijan, the main public institution for blood diseases is the national haematology centre in Baku, and since April 2021 compulsory health insurance has covered the whole country. If you are thinking about treatment abroad, talk to your own hematologist first: a second opinion can often be obtained remotely, from your records. In acute leukemia it is important to start treatment quickly, so travel plans should not delay urgent treatment.
02Simple explanation
The basic principles of leukemia treatment are the same everywhere: an accurate diagnosis (blood, bone marrow, flow cytometry, genetic tests), treatment matched to the type of leukemia, and supportive care that protects against infections. Doctors rely on international guidelines such as those of ESMO, the NCCN and the European LeukemiaNet.
The differences between countries are usually about organisation: which centres treatment is concentrated in, which tests are done locally, how available new medicines are, where transplants are performed and who pays the costs.
In Azerbaijan, the main public institution for blood diseases is the National haematology centre in Baku. According to the centre’s official website, it provides diagnosis and treatment of hematological and onco-hematological diseases, laboratory diagnostics, transfusion medicine and bone marrow transplantation.
Getting a second opinion is normal and does not mean you distrust your doctor. Often you do not need to travel for it: an opinion can be obtained by sending your test results and medical records, or through a video consultation.
The most important rule: in acute leukemia, time matters. Organising a trip can take weeks, while treatment often needs to start straight away. Always make such decisions together with your treating hematologist.
03Scientific explanation
How the centre in Azerbaijan was created: by Presidential Decree of 23 December 2019, the Thalassemia Centre and a haematology research institute were merged to form the national haematology centre, under TABIB (the Administration of Regional Medical Divisions).
Compulsory health insurance: according to the Ministry of Health, nationwide roll-out of compulsory health insurance began in January 2020, and since 1 April 2021 the system has covered the entire country. According to the WHO European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the benefits package covers emergency, primary, outpatient and inpatient care, while outpatient medicines are mainly provided through state programmes. What exactly is covered in a particular case should be checked with the treating institution.
Differences between countries: the WHO notes that the availability of cancer diagnosis and treatment differs greatly between high-income and low-income countries. In Europe, expert centres for rare blood diseases are linked through European Reference Networks such as EuroBloodNet; the European Union has separate rules on cross-border healthcare, but they mainly apply to EU citizens.
Risks of treatment abroad: in its guidance on medical tourism, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reminds travellers that language barriers, different quality standards, complications during travel and continuity of care after returning home should be planned for in advance. It recommends contacting both your local doctor and the clinic you plan to visit before treatment, and keeping copies of all your records with you.
04Leukemia care in the 15 post-Soviet countries
A short guide to the main public hematology centres in each of the 15 countries of the former USSR: where adults and children with leukemia are treated, whether bone marrow (stem cell) transplantation is done in the country, and what is useful to know. “Auto” is a transplant of the patient’s own stem cells; “allo” uses cells from a donor, the type most often needed in acute leukemia. We list only what we could confirm from official or reputable sources, and say so where information is unclear.
South Caucasus
Azerbaijan
Auto + allo
Main centres
National haematology centre, Baku (see above)
Transplant: Performed at the National Centre since 2014; by autumn 2024, 191 patients had received a transplant, most of them with thalassemia. Both autologous and allogeneic transplants have been done under compulsory health insurance.
Good to know: Since August 2023 bone marrow transplantation has been included in the compulsory health insurance package, with an annual limit on the number of procedures. In 2023, 25 patients were also sent to Turkey for transplants under a state project.
Georgia
Auto + allo
Main centres
Caucasus Medical Center, Tbilisi
New Hospitals, Tbilisi
Tbilisi State Medical University and Ingorokva High Medical Technologies University Clinic
Iashvili Children’s Central Hospital, Tbilisi (children’s onco-hematology)
Transplant: According to the EU Agency for Asylum (2026), the first three clinics are the national centres authorised to perform stem cell transplants; the state programme covers autologous, allogeneic and haploidentical transplants up to set limits.
Good to know: Residents of Tbilisi and Adjara are covered through local programmes. Children under 18 with blood cancers can also be treated abroad, at partner clinics in Israel, Spain and Turkey, under a state referral programme.
Central Asia
Kazakhstan
Auto + allo
Main centres
National Research Oncology Center, Astana (adults)
Scientific Center of Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery, Almaty (children)
Transplant: The Astana centre performs all types: autologous, allogeneic from related and unrelated donors, and haploidentical (more than 700 transplants since 2010). The Almaty centre transplants children.
Good to know: According to the newspaper Kazakhstanskaya Pravda (2023), transplantation is free for citizens under the guaranteed free medical care package and compulsory social health insurance.
Kyrgyzstan
Auto only so far
Main centres
National Center of Oncology and Hematology, Bishkek (adults and children)
National Center for Maternal and Child Health, Bishkek
Transplant: The country’s first transplant, an autologous one for a teenager with Hodgkin lymphoma, was performed at the National Center for Maternal and Child Health in 2024. We found no reports of allogeneic transplants.
Good to know: Patients who need a donor transplant should discuss referral abroad with their hematologist early.
Tajikistan
Auto only so far
Main centres
National Medical Center of the Republic of Tajikistan “Shifobakhsh”, Dushanbe (adult and children’s hematology departments)
Republican Oncology Research Center, Dushanbe
Transplant: According to Tajik State Medical University, the first autologous transplants for adults (two patients with acute myeloid leukemia in remission) were performed at the National Medical Center in February 2026. We found no reliable information on allogeneic transplants.
Turkmenistan
No reliable data
Main centres
Scientific-Clinical Center of Oncology, Ashgabat
Scientific-Clinical Center for Maternal and Child Health, Ashgabat (children’s hematology)
Transplant: We found no reliable public information on stem cell transplants in the country; independent media reported in 2022 that they were not performed and that patients had to travel abroad.
Good to know: According to the government website, a new International Scientific-Clinical Center of Oncology, with outpatient hematology departments for adults and children, is due to open in Ashgabat in 2026.
Uzbekistan
Auto + allo
Main centres
Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Hematology, Tashkent
National Children’s Medical Center, Tashkent
Transplant: Autologous transplants have been done since 2014. In 2024 the hematology centre began allogeneic transplants, including haploidentical ones (Ministry of Health), and the National Children’s Medical Center performed the first allogeneic transplants in children.
Good to know: Before 2024, patients who needed a donor transplant had to go abroad, so it is worth asking which type of transplant is now available for your diagnosis.
Eastern Europe
Belarus
Auto + allo
Main centres
Republican Center for Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Minsk Scientific and Practical Center for Surgery, Transplantology and Hematology (adults)
Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, Borovlyany near Minsk (children)
Transplant: Both centres perform autologous and allogeneic transplants, including from unrelated donors. According to its website, the Minsk centre is the only one in Belarus that transplants adults; the children’s centre performs up to 100 transplants a year.
Good to know: The Minsk centre has a separate contact for foreign patients.
Moldova
Abroad only
Main centres
Institute of Oncology, Chisinau (hematology departments)
Transplant: As of 2024, stem cell transplants were not performed in Moldova. According to Radio Free Europe, about 45 people a year need one and are treated abroad, for example in Romania.
Good to know: Plans for a national transplant centre were shelved, so it helps to discuss referral abroad with your hematologist early.
Russia
Auto + allo
Main centres
National Medical Research Center for Hematology, Moscow
Dmitry Rogachev National Medical Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow (children)
R.M. Gorbacheva Research Institute of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Transplantation, Pavlov University, St Petersburg (children and adults)
Transplant: All three perform allogeneic transplants, including from unrelated and haploidentical donors. According to the official national projects portal, the Rogachev Center performs about 250 transplants a year.
Good to know: Transplantation is provided as high-tech medical care; the referral is prepared by the treating doctor according to the procedure approved by the Ministry of Health (order No. 875n of 2018).
Ukraine
Auto + allo
Main centres
Okhmatdyt National Children’s Specialized Hospital, Kyiv
National Cancer Institute, Kyiv
Institute of Blood Pathology and Transfusion Medicine, Lviv
Transplant: According to the Ukrainian Center for Transplant Coordination, all types of bone marrow transplant are performed in Ukraine; about ten centres, including these three, have contracts with the National Health Service of Ukraine.
Good to know: Under the state Programme of Medical Guarantees, the work-up, the transplant itself and follow-up care are free for the patient with an electronic referral; HLA typing is also free.
Baltic states
Estonia
Auto + allo
Main centres
Tartu University Hospital, Tartu
North Estonia Medical Centre, Tallinn (hematology centre)
Transplant: Tartu University Hospital is the only place in Estonia that performs allogeneic transplants and transplants in children; by 2023 it had done 400 autologous and 349 allogeneic transplants.
Good to know: The Tallinn centre refers patients who need a donor transplant to Tartu or to Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm.
Latvia
Auto + allo
Main centres
Riga East University Hospital, Latvian Oncology Centre, Riga
Transplant: Its hematology and transplantation unit is the only place in Latvia that offers stem cell transplants for blood cancers. Transplants have been done since 2000; the first allogeneic transplant in Latvia was performed in 2006.
Lithuania
Auto + allo
Main centres
Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Hematology, Oncology and Transfusion Medicine Center, Vilnius
Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno klinikos, Kaunas
Transplant: Vilnius performs autologous, related and unrelated allogeneic and haploidentical transplants, about 180–190 a year according to the centre. Kaunas has done autologous transplants since 2015 and allogeneic ones since 2020.
Good to know: Lithuania’s unrelated donor registry is based at Santaros Klinikos; according to the centre, patients from other countries are also transplanted there.
Information changes: centres open, merge and introduce new treatments. The overview reflects what we could verify in October 2026. Before making plans, check directly with the centre and discuss every step with your hematologist.
05Where patients often go for treatment abroad
Families from our region often consider treatment or a second opinion in Turkey, Israel, Western Europe, South Korea, India or the USA; Georgia’s state programme for children, for example, works with partner clinics in Israel, Spain and Turkey. Below are two well-known centres in each of ten countries: examples, not a ranking or a recommendation. A useful quality check for a transplant centre is accreditation: in Europe by JACIE (the EBMT system), and in the USA and elsewhere by FACT. We do not give prices; ask the centre for a written estimate.
Nearby
Turkey
Well-known centres
Memorial Sisli Hospital Bone Marrow Transplant Center, Istanbul (adults and children)
Acibadem adult bone marrow transplant centres, Istanbul (for example, Acibadem Altunizade Hospital)
Good to know: The official HealthTurkiye portal, run by USHAS together with the Ministry of Health, provides information for international patients. In 2023 Azerbaijan sent 25 patients to Turkey for transplants under a state project.
Israel
Well-known centres
Sheba Medical Center (Tel HaShomer), Ramat Gan: Division of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation
Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem: Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cancer Immunotherapy
Good to know: Both hospitals have international patient services that review medical records and prepare a treatment plan and cost estimate before travel.
Western Europe
Germany
Well-known centres
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Campus Virchow-Klinikum), Berlin
Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg
Good to know: Charité performs about 140 allogeneic transplants a year, and Heidelberg more than 300 stem cell transplants. Heidelberg, for example, asks for documents in German or English, with hematology reports no older than three weeks, and confirms an appointment only after the estimated cost has been paid.
Spain
Well-known centres
Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona
Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona and Madrid
Good to know: Clínica Universidad de Navarra is FACT-JACIE accredited for adult transplants and has a department for international patients.
Italy
Well-known centres
Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Rome (children)
IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Milan
Good to know: Bambino Gesù offers CAR-T cell therapy for children with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia; San Raffaele is accredited as a joint transplant centre for adults and children.
France
Well-known centres
Hôpital Saint-Louis (AP-HP), Paris
Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Marseille
Good to know: According to AP-HP, Saint-Louis performs more than 140 allogeneic transplants a year, the largest such service in France.
United Kingdom
Well-known centres
The Royal Marsden, London and Sutton
Great Ormond Street Hospital, London (children)
Good to know: The Royal Marsden has one of the largest transplant units in the UK and treats NHS and private patients. Great Ormond Street has the country’s largest paediatric transplant unit (JACIE-accredited), treats children up to 16 and accepts international referrals through its private care service.
Asia
South Korea
Well-known centres
Catholic Hematology Hospital, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Seoul
Asan Medical Center, Seoul
Good to know: Seoul St. Mary’s reports 11,692 transplants between 1983 and 2025, most of them allogeneic; Asan describes itself as the most active centre for haploidentical transplants in Korea. Large hospitals have international healthcare centres.
India
Well-known centres
Tata Memorial Centre – ACTREC, Navi Mumbai
Christian Medical College, Vellore
Good to know: ACTREC performs more than 100 transplants a year and in 2021 was the first in India to give a locally developed CAR-T therapy. India issues a special e-Medical visa, and up to two e-Medical Attendant visas for companions.
North America
USA
Well-known centres
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle
Good to know: MD Anderson performs more than 850 transplants and cell therapies a year; it asks international patients for an initial deposit and does not offer financial assistance to patients living outside Texas. Bone marrow transplantation was pioneered at Fred Hutch.
Rules for foreign patients change. Before travelling, contact the centre’s international department directly, ask for a written treatment plan and cost estimate, and agree with your hematologist on follow-up care at home. In acute leukemia, do not delay starting treatment while you wait for answers from abroad.
06What happens in the body?
Talk to your own hematologist first
Your doctor knows best the type of leukemia, how urgent it is and your current condition. Ask: is this treatment possible here, which parts need to be done elsewhere (for example, a special genetic test or a transplant), and how would travel affect treatment?
Gather your documents in one folder
A second opinion usually needs: a discharge summary, blood test results over time, bone marrow, flow cytometry, cytogenetic and molecular test reports, a list of medicines received with dates, allergies, transfusions and, if available, HLA typing. Keep electronic copies of everything and get a professional translation if needed.
Figure 2.Keeping all documents in one folder makes a second opinion easier.
Remote second opinions and telemedicine
Many large centres offer a written opinion based on your records, or a video consultation. This can help check the treatment plan without travelling. Once you have the opinion, discuss it with your treating doctor.
Questions to ask about costs
What does the quoted price include, and what does it not include? What happens if treatment of complications, intensive care or an extra course is needed? How long will you need to stay in hospital and in the city? Also consider accommodation for loved ones, visas, an interpreter and follow-up after you return.
Coming home and continuity of care
Wherever treatment takes place, agree in advance who will look after you afterwards. Ask the clinic for a detailed discharge summary, a list of medicines and a plan for the next tests. Be wary of agents and clinics that promise a “guaranteed cure”.
07If you are considering an opinion or treatment abroad
Possible steps (simplified).
1Talk to your doctorUrgency and local options.
2DocumentsTests, summaries, translation.
3Second opinionOften possible remotely.
4DecisionTogether with your local team.
A clear planWhere, when and who treats you.
Travel preparationOnly if needed and safe.
Continuous careA follow-up plan after you return.
08Documents to prepare for a second opinion
Document
Why it is needed
Tip
Discharge summary
A short summary of diagnosis and treatment
Ask for the latest version
Blood tests
How the counts have changed
Arrange them by date
Bone marrow and flow cytometry
The basis of the diagnosis
If possible, find out where the samples are stored
Cytogenetic and molecular tests
Risk group and treatment choice
Get the full report, not just the conclusion
Medicines and allergies
To continue treatment safely
Include the dates
HLA typing (if done)
If a transplant is planned
Results of brothers and sisters are useful too
* This list is general; the receiving centre may ask for more. Check with your doctor what to send.
09Key terms
Second opinion
Another specialist’s view of the diagnosis or treatment plan.
Discharge summary
A short written summary of treatment given when you leave hospital.
Telemedicine
A remote consultation by video, phone or electronic records.
Onco-hematology
The field of medicine dealing with cancers of the blood and bone marrow.
Transfusion medicine
The field dealing with transfusions of blood and blood components.
Compulsory health insurance
A system that pays for a state-defined package of medical services.
HLA typing
A test to check donor compatibility for a transplant.
Reference centre
A centre with special expertise in certain diseases.
Medical tourism
Travelling to another country for treatment.
10Key points
The principles of leukemia treatment are similar everywhere; differences are mostly in organisation.
Azerbaijan’s main public centre for blood diseases is in Baku.
Since April 2021, compulsory health insurance has covered the whole country.
A second opinion is normal and can often be obtained remotely.
In acute leukemia, travel plans should not delay treatment.
Keep electronic copies of all documents in one folder.
Always ask what is not included in a quoted price.
Do not trust promises of a “guaranteed cure”.
11Frequently asked questions
Is treatment abroad always better?
No. The main treatment for many types of leukemia follows international guidelines and can be given in local centres. Travelling sometimes makes sense for a specific test, medicine or transplant. Weigh this up together with your hematologist.
Will my doctor be offended if I ask for a second opinion?
Professional doctors take second opinions calmly. Cancer.Net and the American Cancer Society also describe it as the patient’s right. You can ask your doctor to help you prepare the documents.
Where can I find out the cost of treatment?
We do not give prices, because they depend heavily on the centre, the treatment and the situation. Ask the clinic for a written quote, and check separately what it includes and what it does not.
Can treatment start before travelling abroad?
Sometimes this is the best path, especially in acute leukemia, where delaying treatment can be dangerous. Either way, make this decision with your treating doctor.
Which language should documents be translated into?
It depends on the receiving country; English is often accepted. Use a professional medical translator so that medical terms are rendered correctly.
Who will follow me up after I come home?
This needs to be agreed before the trip. Usually a local hematologist leads follow-up, while the centre abroad provides a summary and recommendations. Bring copies of all documents home.
12Questions for your doctor
Take these questions to your appointment. The ones you save are collected on the “My questions” page and stay on this device only.
1
Which parts of my treatment are possible here and which at another centre?
2
If I am considering treatment abroad, which documents should I prepare?
3
Can my samples be sent to another centre?
4
Can follow-up continue here after treatment in another country?
