Berlin's treatment centres
Founded and managed by Prof Peter Schlag, the Charité Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CCCC) co-ordinates cancer diagnostics and therapies across all medical disciplines. Interdisciplinary tumour boards decide on therapies/strategies; cooperation is close with general practitioners, regional hospitals and clinics.
Last year the CCCC was the first German centre to obtain a Deutsche Krebsgesellschaft oncology centre certificate and, since spring, it has been promoted by the German cancer network (Deutsche Krebshilfe).
Research – Current projects include the development of navigation-based instruments for cancer surgery and tumour ablation; the development of optical and molecular tumour imaging, and consolidation of molecular diacritic procedure.
In 2003, the DTZ cancer diagnostic therapy centre, became the first out-patient centre to offer combined PET/CT (64-slice CT) diagnostics, mainly collaborating with university hospitals and other out-patient units. Prof Jürgen Schmidt, who set up DTZ’s daily operation, pointed out that PET/CT examinations are paid by German health insurers only for suspected pulmonary cancer, not for prostate, breast, bowel cancers etc, leaving Germany far behind other EU countries. The DTZ developed models for an adequate supply of contracts with selected health insurers (TK, DAK, BKK, IKK). If any of these are not a patient’s insurer, costs must be met by the centre.
01.09.2009
