Cancer (Oncology)

Cancer is a collective term which encompasses around 150 different malignant organ tumours and diseases of the lymphohaematopoietic system. After cardiovascular disease, it is the second most common cause of death in Switzerland. However, a cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence as around half of the more than 30,000 new cases every year can be cured.

As long as a cancer remains localised, the treatment success rates are much better than if metastases have already formed. For this reason, early detection and timely treatment are crucial.

Origin

Cancer develops when normal cells change – often during various intermediate steps – into malignant cells that start to divide uncontrollably. When the body’s defence mechanism is not able to destroy them, more and more diseased cells are created to form a localised growth (tumour). The surrounding tissue is subsequently also affected (infiltration). Cancer cells can travel via the lymphatic and circulatory systems to reach other parts of the body, where they then create new cancer growths (metastases). In the case of leukaemia and certain lymphatic cancers, the cancer cells distribute themselves rapidly throughout the entire body.

Benign tumour

Cancer, in other words the unrestricted growth of malignant tumours, is the result of mutations in the genetic material inside cells. These mutations can be caused by a variety of different factors, including genetically inherited risk factors, the natural ageing process, as well as external influences like lifestyle, harmful substances or infections. Some of these risk factors can be avoided – others can’t. Around a third of all cancers are caused by preventable causes such a smoking, alcohol consumption or an unbalanced diet.

Malignant tumour

Malignant tumours are cell growths with altered genetic material. These cells are no longer controlled by the body, so they are characterised by unrestricted growth. As they grow, they infiltrate healthy tissue and destroy it. The cells of a malignant tumour can travel through the bloodstream to reach other parts of the body. There they can form metastases, which can destroy the surrounding tissue. 

Most tumour patients can be treated in an outpatient setting. The Hirslanden Group’s oncological centres feature the latest laboratory and radiology infrastructure, so that outpatient treatments can be performed faster and more efficiently.

In addition to therapy that specifically targets the tumour, great importance is also placed on support services and palliative care. Our specially trained oncological nursing staff know how to meet tumour patients’ specific needs.

Inpatient stays are necessary for operations and complex therapies, such as extended chemotherapy, high dosage therapies with autologous stem cell transplantation or pain-relieving procedures, as well as for patients who require extensive medical care.

We always take the time to listen. During personal consultations we will enquire about your medical needs, your lifestyle, expectations and wishes, and integrate each of these aspects into your treatment to the best of our ability. After all, the aim of our comprehensive medical care is to maintain or improve your health and overall quality of life.

We will carefully address your individual problems and help you deal with uncertainties regarding the progression of your disease. With our professional support, you can overcome your fears about death and we will also help you manage the emotional distress caused by pain and suffering. If you wish, our chaplains will gladly pay you regular visits.

We would also be happy to incorporate your relatives in our provision of care and assist them during your stay with us. Thanks to our rooming-in system, your relatives can even stay overnight at our hospital.

Most tumours are treated surgically. The aim is always to remove the entire tumour. To ensure the cancer has been successfully eradicated, most patients also require chemotherapy or radiotherapy after their operation.

Some types of cancer, such as certain forms of breast or prostate cancer, are related to the body’s metabolism or sex hormones. Medication can be used to suppress the effect of these hormones, which then limits or prohibits the growth of the cancer cells. Anti-hormonal therapy is mostly used after other treatments. 

Tumour cells typically divide quickly and uncontrollably. Radiotherapy inhibits cell division by damaging or even destroying the tumour cells. So it can slow or prohibit the tumour’s growth.

Chemotherapy involves using medication to block or prohibit the growth of cancer cells. A variety of medications are used, depending on the type of cancer and its stage of development.

If a patient receives a very high dose of chemotherapy, blood stem cells are first collected from the patient's blood using an apheresis machine and stored in liquid nitrogen. After the high-dose chemotherapy, the blood stem cells are returned to the patient as an infusion.

Blood can cure cancer: In CAR T-cell therapy, immune cells are genetically modified so that they recognise and fight cancer cells.

The complexity of providing cancer treatment and comprehensive, individual medical care for every single patient requires collaboration between specialists from various disciplines. 

At Hirslanden, regular tumourboard meetings are held to determine the best possible therapy for each patient. Various medical specialists come together once a week at these meetings to discuss treatment options for new or existing tumour patients and plan their therapies.

The tumourboard members include specialists from medical oncology, haematology, radiation oncology, pathology, visceral and thoracic surgery, gynaecology, urology, ENT, neurosurgery, pneumology, gastroenterology, nuclear medicine and diagnostic radiology. Referring doctors are also welcome to attend the meetings.

This is the best way to coordinate comprehensive and individualised therapy for every patient, and to ensure cancer patients benefit from a variety of specialist expertise.