Sheba Medical Center
Israel's largest and most comprehensive medical center, founded in 1948 as the country's first military hospital and now a 1,990-bed academic medical city in Ramat Gan, ranked among Newsweek's World's Best Hospitals every year since 2019. The Sheba Cancer Center is a sister institution of MD Anderson under its Global Academic Programs, treating 50,000 cancer patients annually with pioneering programmes in CAR T-cell therapy, TIL (tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte) immunotherapy, the Ella Institute for melanoma and immunotherapy, and the largest cancer research centre in Israel.
About Sheba Medical Center
Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer (Hebrew: המרכז הרפואי ע"ש חיים שיבא – תל השומר), commonly known as Sheba Medical Center or Tel HaShomer Hospital, is the largest hospital in Israel and the largest, most comprehensive medical centre in the Middle East. Established in 1948 as Israel's first military hospital to treat casualties of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the institution was founded in a cluster of abandoned Mandate-era military barracks and originally called Army Hospital No. 5 before being renamed Tel HaShomer Hospital. It became a civilian hospital in 1953 under Dr. Chaim Sheba, and was renamed in his honour following his death. The campus, spread across approximately 200 acres in the Tel HaShomer neighbourhood of Ramat Gan in the Tel Aviv District, now operates as an integrated 'City of Health' encompassing an acute care hospital, one of the world's largest rehabilitation hospitals (800 beds, 14 buildings), a women's hospital, the Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, a cancer hospital, a geriatric hospital, an academic medical campus and major research and innovation infrastructure.
Sheba was ranked by Newsweek as the #8 best hospital in the world in 2025, the highest-ranked Asian or Israeli hospital, and has held a top-10 World's Best Hospitals position every year since 2019, alongside global peers including Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2013, Sheba became the first Israeli hospital to earn the Joint Commission International (JCI) Gold Seal as an academic and clinical medical center. The hospital operates 150+ medical departments and clinics with approximately 1,990 hospital beds, around 1,000 medical specialists and 5,800 nursing, administrative and technical staff. Annual activity includes more than 1.2 million patient visits (1.6 million outpatient visits, 430,000 inpatients, 200,000 emergency room admissions, 50,000 surgical procedures, 12,000 maternal deliveries and 4 million medical tests according to recent published figures). Sheba is home to the Israel National Center for Health Policy and Epidemiology Research (the Israeli equivalent of the US National Institutes of Health), the Israel National Center for Medical Simulation (MSR), the Israel National Blood Bank and Cord Blood Bank, the ARC Innovation Center healthcare innovation ecosystem and Project K, the world's first AI-powered emergency department.
Sheba's Cancer Center is one of the most advanced in the Middle East, treating approximately 50,000 cancer patients annually including 4,500 new patient evaluations, with approximately 35,000 outpatient treatments, 37,000 interdisciplinary oncology clinic visits, 30 inpatient oncology beds, 2,000 new radiation therapy patients per year and 270 brachytherapy patients per year. Sheba is a sister institution of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center under MD Anderson's Global Academic Programs initiative, with active collaboration across education, training, research, nursing, quality assurance and faculty exchange. The Sheba Cancer Center includes the Jusidman Oncology Hospital, the Sheba Cancer Research Center (SCRC, the largest cancer research centre in Israel), the Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology (renowned for melanoma immunotherapy and developer of novel checkpoint drug candidates such as cCAM), the Sheba Pancreatic Cancer Center (the largest of its kind in Israel), specialised gynecologic oncology and pediatric hemato-oncology departments and a Phase I-IV oncology clinical trials programme. The Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department admits approximately 1,200 inpatients and 4,000 outpatient visits annually with a dedicated pediatric bone marrow transplantation unit. International patients access Sheba through the Sheba Global / Chaim Sheba International Medicine Department, which provides clinical consultations, diagnostic imaging, surgical procedures, treatment planning, rehabilitation and humanitarian care including for patients from Middle Eastern countries that do not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel.
CancerFax works with international and Indian families considering Sheba Medical Center alongside other leading global cancer centres, helping patients understand whether Sheba is the right clinical and financial fit for their specific diagnosis. Sheba is particularly relevant for patients seeking access to TIL (tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte) immunotherapy, melanoma and advanced skin cancer immunotherapy, complex pancreatic cancer surgery, pediatric oncology, complex congenital heart disease alongside cancer treatment, or who specifically value the MD Anderson Global Academic Programs partnership without the cost of MD Anderson Houston itself. Our coordination service covers preliminary case review and second-opinion submission to the Sheba International Medicine Department, Israeli medical visa support documentation, comparative cost estimates against other top cancer centres in the US, India, China, South Korea, Singapore and the UAE, accredited translation of foreign-language records, accommodation and travel guidance in Ramat Gan and central Tel Aviv, and an honest conversation about whether Sheba's Israeli pricing represents better value than US care or whether a high-quality Asian centre offers comparable clinical outcomes at materially lower cost. CancerFax charges patients nothing for this navigation.
| Hospital at a Glance | |
|---|---|
| Country | Israel |
| City | Tel HaShomer, Ramat Gan (Tel Aviv District) |
| Established | 1948 (Israel's first military hospital; civilian since 1953) |
| Hospital Type | Government-Owned Academic Medical Center · Israel's Largest Hospital · MD Anderson Cancer Center Sister Institution under Global Academic Programs |
| Accreditation | JCI-Accredited Academic and Clinical Medical Center (first in Israel, since 2013) · Newsweek World's Best Hospitals top 10 every year since 2019 (ranked #8 globally in 2025) · Newsweek Top 10 Smart Hospitals (ranked #9 globally in 2026) |
| Beds | 1,990 hospital beds across acute, cancer, women's, children's, rehabilitation (800 beds) and geriatric hospitals on a 200-acre campus |
| Annual Patient Activity | Approximately 1.2 million patient visits per year including 1.6 million outpatient visits, 430,000 inpatients, 200,000 emergency admissions, 50,000 surgical procedures, 12,000 deliveries, 4 million medical tests; 50,000 cancer patients (4,500 new) per year |
| Research Focus | Largest cancer research center in Israel (Sheba Cancer Research Center); Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology (melanoma, cCAM checkpoint drug); CAR-T and TIL cell therapy; pancreatic cancer (largest centre in Israel); pediatric oncology; complex congenital cardiac surgery (Safra International Congenital Heart Center); ARC Innovation Center |
Why Patients Choose Sheba Medical Center
Sheba Medical Center is Israel's largest hospital and a Newsweek top-10 World's Best Hospital, with distinguishing strengths in TIL cell therapy and melanoma immunotherapy through the Ella Institute, an MD Anderson sister-institution partnership, the largest pancreatic cancer centre in Israel, and an established International Medicine Department serving patients from 100+ countries including humanitarian care for patients from regions without formal Israeli diplomatic ties.
Cancer Specialties and Clinical Departments
Sheba's Cancer Center provides comprehensive care for dozens of different cancer types across surgical, medical and radiation oncology, with specialised institutes for melanoma immunotherapy, pancreatic cancer, gynecologic oncology and pediatric hemato-oncology, supported by the largest cancer research centre in Israel and an active CAR-T and TIL cell therapy programme.
Advanced Treatment Capabilities
Key Specialists at Sheba Medical Center
Sheba Medical Center employs approximately 1,000 medical specialists and 5,800 nursing, administrative and technical staff across more than 150 medical departments and clinics. The medical center is led by Director General Prof. Yitshak Kreiss, who was selected for Newsweek's exclusive list of Top Hospital CEOs for 2024. Senior cancer leadership includes Professor Bella Kaufman, deputy chief of the Cancer Treatment Center and head of the Breast Cancer Unit, who has received the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Humanitarian Award for her work supporting vulnerable patient groups. Sheba's faculty are deeply embedded in international oncology guideline activities and routinely attend major international meetings including ASCO, ESMO and AACR, with many holding joint research programmes with MD Anderson Cancer Center under the Global Academic Programs partnership.
Sheba's Cancer Center is organised around disease-specific multidisciplinary teams that bring together surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, pathology, radiology, nuclear medicine and clinical genetics for every complex case. Specialised cancer programmes include the Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology (melanoma and immunotherapy), the Sheba Pancreatic Cancer Center, the Breast Cancer Unit, the Gynecologic Oncology Department, the Hemato-Oncology Division and the Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department. International patients are managed through the Sheba International Medicine Department with a dedicated case manager and interpreter assigned to each patient throughout their stay. Patients seeking a specific physician consultation or a focused multidisciplinary second opinion can submit their request through CancerFax. We work with the Sheba International Medicine Department to match each case to the appropriate department and care team before any travel is committed, and will tell you openly if a different cancer centre would serve your case more appropriately.
Patients seeking specific physician consultations or second opinions may request a review through the CancerFax coordination process before confirming travel or admission.
Clinical Infrastructure and Treatment Technology
Sheba Medical Center's 200-acre Tel HaShomer campus integrates an acute care hospital, the Jusidman Oncology Hospital, the Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, a women's hospital, the Sheba Rehabilitation Hospital (one of the largest globally at 800 beds), the ARC Innovation Center, the Israel National Center for Medical Simulation, the Israel National Blood and Cord Blood Bank and Project K, the world's first AI-powered emergency department.
- Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology — one of the world's most experienced centres in TIL (tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte) cell therapy for melanoma and advanced solid tumours, plus melanoma immune checkpoint inhibitor combinations and the cCAM novel checkpoint drug
- CAR T-cell therapy programme for hematologic malignancies including B-cell ALL, B-cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma, plus investigational CAR-T protocols
- Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Unit (~25 procedures/year, autologous and allogeneic)
- Radiation Therapy Department treating 2,000 new patients per year with external beam radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)
- Brachytherapy programme treating 270 patients per year
- Advanced diagnostic imaging including 3T MRI, multi-slice CT, PET-CT and high-end ultrasound
- High-volume surgical oncology across thoracic, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, breast, gynecologic, urologic, head and neck and pediatric subspecialties
- Sheba Pancreatic Cancer Center, the largest pancreatic cancer programme in Israel, with cutting-edge multidisciplinary surgical and medical management
- Pioneered minimally invasive cardiac surgery in Israel, with high-risk surgical capability through the Safra International Congenital Heart Center
- Sheba Cancer Research Center (SCRC), the largest cancer research centre in Israel, developing new drugs and conducting novel treatment regimens
- Active Phase II, III and IV oncology clinical trials programme adhering to international Good Clinical Practice (GCP) standards, with high recruitment in international pharmaceutical trials
- ARC Innovation Center healthcare innovation ecosystem and Project K, the world's first AI-powered emergency department for clinical decision support
International Patient Support at Sheba Medical Center
Sheba Medical Center's International Medicine Department (Sheba Global) provides comprehensive support for international patients including a dedicated case manager and interpreter for each patient, pre-arrival clinical consultations, medical record review and coordination, and the full range of clinical services available to Israeli patients. The hospital welcomes patients from across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas, including humanitarian care for patients from countries without formal Israeli diplomatic ties.
What to Prepare Before Traveling
- arrow_rightShare complete pathology reports, biopsy slides where requested for re-review, recent CT, PET-CT and MRI imaging, molecular profiling, prior treatment summaries and a current medication list (in English) with the Sheba International Medicine Department at least one to two weeks before your planned consultation. Pre-arrival clinical consultations and medical record review can be arranged remotely.
- arrow_rightApply for an appropriate Israeli visa at the Israeli embassy or consulate in your country. Sheba can issue an official invitation letter and detailed treatment plan for the patient and accompanying family members; patients from many countries do not require a visa for short medical stays in Israel, but documentation should be confirmed in advance.
- arrow_rightPlan travel via Ben Gurion International Airport (TLV) near Tel Aviv, the only major international airport in Israel and approximately 20 minutes by car from the Sheba campus. Allow for a stay of at least one to several weeks for evaluation and initial treatment, with longer stays for surgery, TIL therapy, CAR-T or extended radiotherapy. Note that Sheba's 200-acre campus includes an on-site rehabilitation hospital allowing post-treatment recovery without changing institutions.
Sheba Medical Center's International Medicine Department (Sheba Global) operates the official portal at shebaonline.org and is the verified channel for international patient enquiries. CancerFax coordinates all communication on the patient's behalf, including pre-travel record submission, translation, visa documentation, transparent comparison against alternative top cancer centres, and remains the single point of contact through evaluation, treatment and follow-up at no cost to the patient.
Patient Facilities and Accommodation at Sheba Medical Center
Sheba Medical Center's 200-acre Tel HaShomer campus combines the acute care hospital, the Jusidman Oncology Hospital, the Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, a women's hospital and the 800-bed Sheba Rehabilitation Hospital (one of the largest rehabilitation hospitals globally) on a single integrated campus, with on-site dining, pharmacy and the world's first AI-powered emergency department.
Family members accompanying international patients typically stay at hotels in Ramat Gan or central Tel Aviv within a short taxi or bus ride of the Sheba campus. The International Medicine Department can advise on extended-stay arrangements for longer treatment journeys, including options for families staying through extended cellular therapy, surgery or rehabilitation cycles. CancerFax can help plan budget-conscious options for families on extended trips.
How to Reach Sheba Medical Center
Sheba Medical Center's main campus is in the Tel HaShomer neighbourhood of Ramat Gan in the Tel Aviv District, approximately 15-20 minutes by car from central Tel Aviv and 20 minutes from Ben Gurion International Airport, well connected by Israeli expressway and local public transport.
How CancerFax Helps
CancerFax is a specialist cancer access and patient-navigation platform. We help patients and families understand their options, organise medical records, coordinate hospital communication, and support cross-border treatment planning where appropriate.
We help collect and organise reports, scans, pathology, biomarker results, and treatment history for structured case review.
We communicate with hospitals or trial teams to assess whether a case may be suitable for further screening.
We support appointment coordination, document submission, translation, and direct communication with international departments.
For international patients, we help with practical coordination — travel planning, hospital admission guidance, and local support.
If this option is not suitable, we help explore other relevant treatments, clinical trials, or advanced care pathways.
From inquiry through to follow-up, our coordinators provide a single point of contact for the family.
CancerFax does not guarantee treatment access, eligibility, or clinical outcome. Our role is to help patients access accurate information, structured review, and appropriate specialist pathways.
Sheba Medical Center — Patient Questions Answered
CancerFax acts as your dedicated coordinator for the entire Sheba journey. You begin by sharing your medical records, including pathology reports, biopsy slides where available, scans and prior treatment summaries through our secure intake. Our clinical team reviews your case and identifies whether Sheba is the right clinical and financial fit for your diagnosis, taking into account Israeli treatment costs (generally significantly lower than US, but higher than India, China or many Southeast Asian options) and identifies the right Sheba department and specialist team. We then submit your case to the Sheba International Medicine Department (Sheba Global) and work with their team to arrange the right consultation, multidisciplinary review or remote second opinion.
Once your consultation is confirmed, CancerFax prepares your full pre-travel pack: Sheba's official cost estimate (shared with you without any CancerFax mark-up), Israeli medical visa documentation where required, accredited translation of your home-country reports into English, guidance on Ramat Gan or central Tel Aviv accommodation, and a clear plan for the typical evaluation and treatment timeline. We remain your single point of contact through admission, treatment and follow-up. There is no fee to the patient for any of this coordination, and we will tell you honestly if a different centre would serve your case more appropriately.
Sheba is Israel's largest cancer centre and is internationally renowned for several specific oncology strengths. The Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology is one of the world's most experienced centres in tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cell therapy for melanoma and other advanced solid tumours, and was a pioneer in developing novel cancer immunotherapy treatments including the cCAM checkpoint drug candidate. The Sheba Pancreatic Cancer Center is the largest of its kind in Israel. The Breast Cancer Unit is led by Professor Bella Kaufman, recipient of the ASCO Humanitarian Award. The Hemato-Oncology Division runs an active CAR T-cell therapy programme and international pharmaceutical trials. The Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department treats approximately 1,200 inpatients and 4,000 outpatients annually with a dedicated pediatric bone marrow transplant unit. As an MD Anderson Cancer Center sister institution under Global Academic Programs, Sheba's cancer practice closely follows international guideline-setting research and treatment standards.
Yes, and Sheba has particularly distinguished international standing in TIL (tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte) cell therapy. Through the Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Sheba is one of the very small number of centres globally with deep TIL therapy experience for international patients, with active treatment for metastatic melanoma and selected advanced solid tumours where TIL has demonstrated meaningful clinical benefit. CAR T-cell therapy is also delivered through the Hemato-Oncology Division for FDA-approved indications in B-cell ALL, B-cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma, plus investigational protocols. Sheba runs an active Phase II, III and IV oncology clinical trials programme adhering to international Good Clinical Practice (GCP) standards, with high recruitment in international pharmaceutical trials. For specific advanced therapies not available at Sheba, including proton beam radiotherapy or certain Chinese-pioneered CAR-T constructs, CancerFax can compare options at MD Anderson (Sheba's sister institution), Lu Daopei in China for CAR-T, or other leading centres.
Yes. Sheba Medical Center's International Medicine Department actively offers pre-arrival clinical consultations and medical record review for international patients before any travel commitment. The standard process involves submitting your scans, pathology reports, prior treatment summaries and current medication list in English through the International Medicine Department. CancerFax facilitates this submission, follows up on your behalf, and helps you understand the resulting opinion, including how it compares with treatment plans from other top centres internationally. Given the active humanitarian work Sheba performs for patients from Middle Eastern countries without formal diplomatic ties with Israel, the hospital has substantial experience handling complex international referral cases through structured remote consultation pathways before in-person care begins.
Treatment at Sheba is typically significantly less expensive than equivalent care at MD Anderson, Mayo Clinic or other top US cancer hospitals, often by 40 to 60 per cent for comparable surgical, radiation oncology, medical oncology and cellular therapy procedures, reflecting Israeli pricing rather than US healthcare pricing. At the same time, Sheba is generally more expensive than equivalent care at top Chinese, Indian or Southeast Asian cancer centres, often by a factor of two to four for the same procedures. For Indian, MENA, CIS, African and European patients weighing world-class cancer care against treatment cost, Sheba represents a meaningful middle option, particularly when the patient specifically values the MD Anderson sister-institution relationship, TIL cell therapy access through the Ella Institute, or the integrated 200-acre campus that combines acute treatment with one of the world's largest rehabilitation hospitals. CancerFax shares Sheba's official cost estimates with you at no extra charge and without any CancerFax mark-up, and we are happy to compare them openly with both US and Asian cancer hospital alternatives before any decision is made.
Send Your Medical Reports to Sheba Medical Center via CancerFax
CancerFax reviews your records, identifies the right Sheba department and clinical team for your specific cancer, and coordinates your consultation or remote second opinion in Tel HaShomer, at no cost, with no obligation, and with full medical confidentiality throughout.