ENThe cost of melanoma treatment in Germany cannot be given as one number, not out of secrecy but because one diagnosis covers very different situations: a thin melanoma already fully removed and advanced disease needing months of systemic therapy differ in cost by an order of magnitude.
Below are the items on the invoice, the tariffs German clinics bill under and what to send for a written estimate. The exact figure comes from the clinic after it reviews the documents, not from a website; on the treatment itself, see melanoma treatment in Germany.
The cost follows the stages of treatment
The stages of treatment are the price: the sum depends on which you need. In order: histology review by a German pathologist; a sentinel lymph node biopsy where indicated (the first node draining the tumour); molecular testing; imaging; surgery; systemic therapy (drugs acting throughout the body); follow-up.
Reviewing the slides costs comparatively little but drives the whole sum: the re-measured tumour depth decides whether further treatment is needed at all, how wide the re-excision must be and whether to check the sentinel node. The German guideline recommends this biopsy from 1 mm, or from 0.75 mm with ulceration or other risk factors. This is where patients most often economise in the wrong place.
Systemic therapy carries most of the weight: modern melanoma drugs are expensive, they are given over months, and the cost follows the doses actually administered rather than one price for a «course». See melanoma immunotherapy in Germany and targeted therapy in Germany.
| Cost item | Depends on | Guide figure |
|---|---|---|
| Histology review | slides and blocks | clinic’s estimate |
| Sentinel node biopsy | tumour thickness | clinic’s estimate |
| Molecular testing | genes tested | clinic’s estimate |
| Imaging | method, region, contrast | CT around €500, MRI around €800, ultrasound €130–150 |
| Surgery | extent, outpatient or inpatient | clinic’s estimate |
| Systemic therapy | drug, dose, administrations | clinic’s estimate |
| Follow-up | stage | clinic’s estimate |
What early-stage treatment costs
Early-stage treatment is mostly surgery and diagnostics: with a thin melanoma and no metastases, spending is usually limited to re-excision with a margin of healthy tissue, histology, a sentinel node biopsy where indicated and follow-up examinations of the skin and lymph nodes. The guideline adds lymph node ultrasound from stage IB, while for the thinnest tumours examinations are enough. This is outpatient or short inpatient care, not comparable in cost with drug treatment.
Spending on accuracy rather than volume pays off here: a correctly established stage saves unnecessary scans and trips. Without symptoms, whole-body CT, MRI or PET is not recommended for staging up to and including stage IIB. On the operation itself, see melanoma surgery in Germany.
Orientation figures for diagnostics
Diagnostics is where orientation figures can be given, because AlenMed’s prices already state them:
- CT — around €500, with contrast around €550;
- MRI of one region — around €800, with contrast €900–1,000;
- ultrasound — €130–150;
- a doctor’s consultation on the results — from €130.
Histology, molecular testing and drugs are left out on purpose: their cost depends on the individual case and is stated in the clinic’s estimate, so any figure named in advance would be invented. More on pricing in general: treatment prices in Germany.
The tariffs a German clinic bills under
German clinics bill doctors’ services under the GOÄ and inpatient cases under the DRG case-based system. In the official text of the GOÄ tariff each service has points worth 5.82873 cents each, multiplied by a factor usually no higher than 2.3. For outpatient care, an international patient without German insurance pays a different rate from an insured one, since health funds pay their own tariff and self-payers the GOÄ: a lawful difference, not a mark-up. In hospital, general hospital services must by law be charged the same for all patients (§ 8 KHEntgG).
An estimate (Kostenvoranschlag) is the clinic’s written calculation from the documents, issued in the patient’s name; if insurance does not cover treatment, the law requires the clinic to state the expected costs in text form beforehand (§ 630c BGB). Payment goes directly to the clinic. Prepayment is common, and the law allows it when insurance cover is not shown (§ 8 KHEntgG); the final invoice follows the services provided.
Accommodation, travel, interpreting and assistance, and medication after discharge are almost always billed separately; see medical interpreter and assistance.
What to send to get an estimate
The clinic needs documents showing the stage and what has been done: the histology report and, where possible, the blocks or slides; operation reports with dates; recent imaging as files; molecular test results, if any; the current medication list.
Ask in writing what the quoted sum includes and excludes, how many inpatient days are planned, what happens to the estimate if an extra procedure becomes necessary, and how long the calculation stays valid.
Frequently asked questions
Can I find out the cost of melanoma treatment before travelling?
Yes, as a written estimate calculated from the histology, reports and scans before you arrive; if insurance does not pay, the law obliges the clinic to state the expected costs in advance. The final invoice, however, follows the services actually provided, so a changed plan changes the sum.
Why is systemic therapy the most expensive part of the bill?
Because surgery is a one-off, while drugs are given for months: immunotherapy as a drip every few weeks, targeted therapy as daily capsules, after surgery usually for a year and in advanced disease as long as the patient benefits. The estimate lists drug, dose and administrations, not one sum.
Does an international patient pay more than an insured one?
Not in hospital: general hospital services must by law be charged the same for all patients, international ones included. In outpatient care, health funds pay their own tariff and self-payers are billed under the GOÄ like any private patient: a difference between tariffs, not a surcharge for foreigners.
How AlenMed obtains the estimate from the clinic
AlenMed translates the documents and sends them to the relevant department; where needed, a multidisciplinary tumour board reviews the case. The estimate comes from the clinic in the patient’s name. AlenMed has 86 partner clinics in 38 cities and its office in Munich.
Plan for how long the answer takes, how many days you will need on site, who continues follow-up at home and in what form the invoice and reports arrive.
This material is for information and is not a public offer: sums are orientation figures in euros, the exact cost is set by the clinic’s estimate in the patient’s name, payment goes directly to the clinic, and treatment is decided by a doctor in person.