Why no one quotes a “from–to” price
Any clinic that publishes a fixed price list — “cancer treatment from N” — is either oversimplifying or being disingenuous. Oncology is too individual: two patients with the same diagnosis may receive entirely different treatment plans and, accordingly, different estimates.
The final cost is affected by the tumor type and stage, the chosen method (surgery, CyberKnife radiosurgery, chemo- or immunotherapy), the length of hospital stay, the need for rehabilitation, and the set of medicines. So at FFCH any preliminary package prices are a guide to the order of magnitude, while the final amount is fixed by the clinic's official invoice.
This is the “no noise” approach: instead of a nice but meaningless figure on a website — a precise personal estimate after reviewing your documents.
What makes up the estimate
For a typical complex cancer case, the cost structure at FFCH looks roughly as follows. The shares are approximate and vary by diagnosis and severity:
| Cost item | Share of estimate |
|---|---|
| Diagnostics examinations, scans, laboratory tests | 15–20% |
| Surgery and procedures surgery, radiosurgery, consumables | 35–45% |
| Inpatient monitoring room, nursing, case management | 15–20% |
| Rehabilitation restorative physiotherapy | 10–15% |
| Medicines including Hong Kong–Macao program medicines | 10–20% |
This is an indicative structure, not a fixed price list. A formal, detailed estimate is issued by the clinic following its assessment.
What the initial estimate includes: diagnostic screening, expert consultation, a standard room, basic care, standard surgical consumables, routine medicines, and translation of the discharge summary. If additional indications emerge during treatment, they are agreed with the patient in advance and carried out only after their consent — with the estimate updated.
Service levels
At FFCH, inpatient service is divided into two levels — “high” and “medium” — with separate price lists. The specific estimate and any adjustments are calculated individually, depending in part on the presence of co-existing conditions. There is no fixed “VIP package” with a single price — each case is calculated separately.
How and where to pay
The key principle: payment goes directly to the clinic, not through an intermediary. This is the trust node — the money for treatment is received by the hospital, not an agent.
- Deposit for the invitation. To issue the invitation letter for a medical visa, a prepayment is made — a fixed share of the total estimate
- International transfers. The clinic supports large SWIFT transfers through Bank of China (BOC) and ICBC, as well as VISA and MasterCard payments
- Payment in installments. For treatment lasting several weeks or more, billing can be done by stage and week of hospital stay to reduce the one-time burden
- Documents. After payment, the clinic provides official invoices, receipts and itemized cost statements
If treatment is interrupted for any reason, the account is closed and reconciled: actual costs incurred are deducted, and the unused balance of the prepayment is fully refunded to the patient's original account.
Why “48 hours” is about honesty, not sales speed
After you submit the full set of documents (importantly — with the original scans in DICOM format), the FFCH professors' board reviews the case and within 48 hours prepares a personal treatment protocol with a precise estimate in yuan. This is not a “quick sale” but a chance to decide with a concrete plan and concrete figures in hand — not promises.