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Oncology – state-of-the-art medicine at the highest level

Researching, treating, operating, listening, explaining and also holding the patient’s hand – this is all part of how we practise comprehensive oncology.

In this interview with Prof. Carolin Tonus, medical director and senior consultant for general and abdominal surgery at AK St. Georg, and Prof. Dirk Arnold, medical Management Board member at the Asklepios tumour centre in Hamburg and senior consultant for oncology and palliative medicine with haematology and rheumatology departments at AK Altona, you can find out why this is so immensely important for patients’ well-being and what is particularly important here on a day-to-day basis.

In your view, what makes Asklepios’s approach to oncology special?

Prof. Tonus (CT): At our Asklepios hospitals, we treat more than 40% of all patients with newly diagnosed tumours in Hamburg. This wealth of experience combined with specialisation results in high quality. In line with the saying: “If I do something often, I do it well!” Or to use a footballing analogy: We are playing in the Champions League in many areas!

Prof. Arnold (DA): At Asklepios, we take a clear approach to care – with our seven hospitals in Hamburg and six outpatient medical centres for oncology in Hamburg and the surrounding area, we can provide comprehensive care to a large number of patients in the metropolitan region.

One point is crucial here, however: Despite the resulting proximity to our patients’ homes, it is crucial that oncology requires a high degree of specialisation. At the Asklepios tumour centre in Hamburg, we have organised oncology across all facilities into 14 working groups and various different topic areas where our experts can particularly develop their respective specialities. Shared standards are defined here, innovations in diagnosis and treatment are discussed and then established for all facilities, and joint scientific projects are initiated.

Thanks to this special structure of the Asklepios tumour centre, we can offer both broad-based care and medical services – and do so close to our patients’ homes – and also in particular a high degree of specialisation where useful and necessary.

So for example, a patient is diagnosed with tumour disease at “their” hospital. Their treatment is then discussed and agreed together at the cross-hospital tumour conferences. If a highly specialised operation is initially required, they are referred to the hospital that particularly specialises in this. And when it comes to follow-up care or a fairly straightforward treatment, then they continue their treatment back near his home at “their” hospital.

In your view, how advanced are the treatment methods for cancer?

CT: We are on the right path: moving towards personalised cancer therapy with fewer side effects thanks to targeted treatment of the malignant tumour cell! The pandemic made a noteworthy contribution here with the widespread use of mRNA vaccines coming from oncological research. The goal is for our patients to receive the right therapy at the right time.

Here, too, our experience is an advantage: The more patients you treat, the more you have the experience to be able to tailor their therapy better and more precisely. Oncology is so multifaceted and depends on so many factors. In the course of treatment, only a completely individual view and personal interaction with patients can help you.

DA: Oncology is characterised by a very high degree of innovation. Immense continuous medical progress leads to improvements in diagnosis and therapy that bring about a constant change in standards. Not because the previous methods were not fully developed, but because in this very research-intensive field there are constantly new innovations in diagnosis and therapy that we want to implement for our patients very quickly.

And these improvements relate to almost all fields of oncology – particularly molecular biology diagnosis, which helps us understand tumour diseases much better. The personal profile not only makes it possible to find a highly individual, “targeted” therapeutic approach for many patients, but also optimises all fields of medication-based therapy, radiotherapy and surgical treatment methods. I would like to mention robot-assisted surgery here, just as one example.

»Oncology is teamwork – even more so than in many other fields!«
Prof. Dr. Carolin Tonus, medical director and senior consultant for general and abdominal surgery at AK St. Georg

What role does care play?

CT: It is always about seeing the patient’s individual story – not just the surgical data alone. This is also what makes medicine my dream career still today. I am firmly convinced that care is a key element of good, humane oncology. Care for the patients entrusted to us, but also for their social circle. This is the personal support network that is needed at many points over the course of the disease – and that also needs to be involved.

However, care also applies to the entire therapist team, which often does exceptional work over a very long period and also cares about its patients’ fate. After all, as a therapist you are ultimately a confidant of your patients, accompanying them along every step.

DA: Amid all the enthusiasm for medical innovations, there is one thing we must not lose sight of: We are there first and foremost to offer our patients and their friends and family comprehensive, caring support during this difficult time. This means that in addition to medical improvements, we also need to look at patients’ overall life situation and take responsibility here, too.

Tumour centre

Find out more here about advances in therapies and about our in-house tumour centre

Tumour medicine is one of the most intensive fields of medical research. Because there is such a great need for improvements, tumour medicine and research are also very closely linked. After all, without research we will not achieve any progress.

The specialists at Asklepios therefore treat a large number of patients not only in line with standard protocols, but also aim to include as many patients as possible in clinical studies or research projects. This enables them to being the benefits of innovation to the patients very quickly.

The Asklepios tumour centre plays a crucial role here. With their high degree of specialisation, the trained professionals can better treat particularly severe and complicated cases of disease progression. Furthermore, all employees can use each treatment to learn so that they can act even better for the next patient based on their experience. Asklepios doesn’t just research by itself, but is involved in the research groups of national, European and international professional associations.

To what extent does teamwork play a role in comprehensive care?

CT: My slogan is: Oncology is teamwork – even more so than in many other medical fields! And we have made significant progress in medicine here, too. Patients used to be given a kind of “routing slip” and had to go from therapist to therapist themselves. Now we put integrated medicine into practice. The different people providing treatment in interdisciplinary teams are grouped around the tumour patient. We all have the same goal: recovery or long-term survival with a good quality of life.

This can be achieved only together with our patients and their social circle! A kind of “teamwork” is involved here, too – and on an equal footing. Even after an operation, those affected need a specific contact person whom they can trust. I am deeply convinced of this. My responsibility as a surgeon doesn’t end when I sew up my patients! It may sound strange, but in the end the patients need to find a sense of home – including in the course of their therapy – and this is something we aim to provide at Asklepios.

DA: KCancer patients are not just cancer patients – they are people in all kinds of life situations who often just by chance have a dangerous illness. From a medical point of view, we can use various approaches to try to either cure this illness or control it to the point where it becomes a “chronic” illness – one with which those affected can live for a long time as comfortably as possible and with a good quality of life.

But in addition to medical care, this also requires a comprehensive approach. This also includes topics such as dietary advice, physiotherapy and psychological support that we offer at our tumour centre to assist both the patients and their families. You cannot provide this without a functioning team.

Asklepios Cancer Congress

Dialogue broadens horizons and sparks curiosity – the next opportunity will be offered at the Asklepios Cancer Congress.

In order to practice medicine at the highest level on a long-term basis, professionals need to keep their knowledge continuously up to date. This requires an organised framework for quality, research and progress – at an international level. This is the goal of the Asklepios Cancer Congress.

The Cancer Congress has two main tasks: The first is to exchange knowledge and information. In addition to experts from Asklepios, other national and international experts are also invited. With their external perspective and new scientific knowledge, they help deepen “in-house” knowledge. The second task relates to personal interaction between colleagues from the different hospitals and work areas. This focused and direct dialogue is very valuable to everyone involved.

»Oncology is a type of medicine involving continuous improvement – our patients deserve nothing less.«
Prof. Dr. Dirk Arnold, medical Management Board member at the Asklepios tumour centre in Hamburg

What are your predictions for the future: Will we be able to beat cancer as a disease? And if so, what is needed for this?

CT: I would say that we are on the right path. But if we had the magic formula, then we would practically be guaranteed the Nobel Prize – unfortunately, we are not there yet, and I fear that it will take a long time still. There is one thing I would like to emphasise, though: In my view, treating tumours requires us not just to treat our patients’ bodies, but also to see more in them than just their disease pattern. Cancer marks a juncture in our lives and often leaves scars on our souls! Once we understand this, we have already gained a lot for the future.

DA: I am not quite so optimistic with regard to your question. I find it hard to imagine that cancer will one day be history as a disease. However, I am convinced that there could be fewer and fewer new cases if we manage to improve prevention and screening measures and, above all, get more people on board for this. I believe that with these improvements we will have more positive outcomes and cured patients or patients for whom cancer is like any other chronic illness, meaning that it can be part of a well-functioning everyday life. And then we will already have achieved a great deal.

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