Focus on Cancer

The Wiener Privatklinik as a pacemaker of academically oriented patient care using the example of cancer

Alongside cardiovascular diseases, cancer is the most common cause of illness and death in countries in the geographical western hemisphere: Every year, 20 million people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer. This figure is expected to rise to 35 million by 2050, which means the disease will take on epidemic proportions.

In Austria, around 4,500 people are diagnosed with cancer every year. Colon carcinoma and, in some countries, lung carcinoma are the most common forms of cancer in both sexes. This is unfortunate, as both diseases are largely preventable problems: In the case of colon carcinoma, regular colonoscopy can prevent the disease; in the case of lung carcinoma, it is tobacco smoking that leads to the disease in the vast majority of cases. Breast cancer is particularly common in women, with one in twelve women developing the disease in the course of their lives, which has reached epidemic proportions. In men, prostate cancer is the most common malignant disease. The  Wiener Privatklinik tackles this problem in a very structured way by using the latest diagnostics and therapy as a benchmark for its actions to counter the high incidence of cancer.

a wide range of early detection of malignant diseases

This includes a wide range of early detection of malignant diseases using colonoscopies and gastroscopies as well as a broad spectrum of X-ray examinations: As part of the “silent revolution” in radiology, conventional X-ray procedures such as the simple lung X-ray have been pushed far into the background against the new “cross-sectional imaging procedures” (computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging). The latter are supplemented by artificial intelligence, which makes it possible to obtain even more precise examination results. However, another branch has emerged that combines nuclear medicine and radiology methods in the sense of “functional diagnostics”. A classic example of this is the PET-CT examination, which can detect changes in the body with high metabolic activity: These are usually malignant processes, but they can also be inflammations. Despite these marginal uncertainties, the Radiology Center at the Wiener Privatklinik is a pioneer among all these diagnostic methods, which cover both the early detection of tumors and follow-up examinations after treatment.

What happens if tissue is found that may indicate a malignant process? The motto here is: “No therapy without histology”. Today, tissue for such a histological examination can be obtained relatively easily using minimally invasive procedures, which is also an established technique at the Vienna Private Clinic. However, histological examinations are not enough in modern medicine: further molecular biological examinations often have to be carried out in order to determine the characteristics of the tumor and thus be able to offer the optimal therapy.

So what does such a therapy consist of?

In cancer medicine today, it is common practice to make interdisciplinary decisions about the individual approach to each patient. In addition to direct interaction between representatives of different disciplines, the tumor board is the ideal vehicle for this. Specialists from various disciplines that deal with cancer and its treatment (such as radiology, pathology, surgery of different body regions, internal oncology, radiotherapy, etc.) meet here regularly to discuss and recommend an optimal treatment and its course.

The immediate reason for such interdisciplinarity is the explosion of knowledge that has taken place in recent years, making it impossible to keep track of all aspects of all disciplines (in internal oncology alone, there are 100,000 publications per year).

Depending on the type and stage of cancer, the tumor board may recommend immediate surgery or pre-treatment of the tumor using internal oncological methods, radiotherapy or – in advanced cases – internal oncological therapy. It should be emphasized here that, thanks to the structure that has been created, internal oncology can make use of the most modern therapy methods, which are offered and carried out to the highest academic standards. The results of international clinical studies form the backbone of our decision-making.

the range of services offered by the  Wiener Privatklinik for the treatment of patients with cancer

The range of services is supplemented by a radiotherapy institute located on the premises of Wiener Privatklinik, which enables “all-round care” for patients with cancer. As a result, the range of services offered by the  Wiener Privatklinik for the treatment of patients with cancer as part of the Cancer Center is not only a first-class, academically proven reference address that has become a reliable institution for diagnosis and treatment for many patients from Austria and abroad, but thanks to its excellent academic medical expertise, it also fits into the broad international spectrum of cancer care at the highest level and with the highest recognition.