Samsung Medical Center
Samsung Medical Center — ranked 3rd worldwide in oncology. A MEDIWIN partner hospital under a formal patient-referral agreement.
Korea has one of the highest incidences of gastric cancer in the world, and has responded with a national endoscopic screening programme that detects the disease early at scale. The clinical consequence is volume: Korean surgeons operate on stomach cancer more often than almost anyone, and Korea’s five-year survival rates for stomach and colorectal cancer are generally higher than those in the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan.
Korea has also reduced its overall cancer mortality by 35% over the past twenty years.
In Newsweek’s World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2026, Samsung Medical Center ranked 3rd worldwide in oncology and Asan Medical Center 4th. Asan additionally placed 4th globally in gastroenterology. MEDIWIN holds formal patient-referral agreements with both, and has coordinated colorectal cancer surgery at Samsung Medical Center.
Gastric (stomach) cancer — endoscopic submucosal dissection for early-stage disease, laparoscopic and robotic gastrectomy, and extended surgery for advanced disease.
Colorectal cancer — laparoscopic and robotic colectomy, sphincter-preserving rectal surgery, and management of liver and lung metastases alongside the relevant surgical teams.
Oesophageal cancer, including minimally invasive oesophagectomy.
Pancreatic and biliary cancer — among the most technically demanding abdominal operations, and an area where centre volume matters a great deal.
Systemic treatment — chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy, coordinated by a multidisciplinary team rather than a single department.
— Translation of your endoscopy and biopsy reports, staging CT or PET-CT, and tumour marker results
— Submission to the relevant surgical or oncology department for review
— Written cost estimate and expected minimum length of stay before you travel
— Medical visa documentation
— Professional interpretation at every consultation and during admission
— Discharge summary, nutritional and medication guidance, and remote follow-up after you return home
Staging is the decision that matters most, and it is where second opinions most often differ. If you have been staged and given a surgical plan, a Korean specialist can review whether that staging and plan hold up. Request a second opinion →
Because of volume and early detection. Korea has a high national incidence and a population-wide endoscopic screening programme, so Korean surgeons see and operate on gastric cancer at a frequency few countries match. Korea’s reported five-year survival rates for stomach cancer are generally higher than in the US, UK and Japan.
Early-stage lesions are sometimes removed endoscopically rather than by gastrectomy — a considerably less invasive procedure. Whether that applies to a specific case depends on depth of invasion and other factors on the pathology, which is one reason a specialist review of your endoscopy and biopsy is worthwhile before travelling.
Recurrent disease is one of the situations where a high-volume centre is worth consulting. Send your original operative report, pathology and current imaging, and a specialist can assess whether further surgery or systemic treatment is realistic.
It depends on the operation and whether chemotherapy follows. The hospital provides a minimum length of stay together with the written cost estimate, so you can plan before departure.
The hospital issues a written estimate once its team has reviewed your case. MEDIWIN does not quote medical prices and adds no fees to the medical bill — you pay the hospital directly.
Important. MEDIWIN provides this service to patients residing outside Korea only. It is not offered to residents of Korea. MEDIWIN is a medical tourism facilitator, not a medical provider: every clinical opinion, diagnosis and treatment decision is made and issued by a licensed physician at the treating hospital. MEDIWIN translates and delivers your records to that hospital and delivers the hospital’s response back to you. It does not write, alter, summarise or interpret any medical opinion.
Samsung Medical Center — ranked 3rd worldwide in oncology. A MEDIWIN partner hospital under a formal patient-referral agreement.
General hospital
General hospital
Women’s health, General hospital