Department of Adult and Pediatric Oncology, Hematology - Albertinen Hospital Hamburg

About the Department of Adult and Pediatric Oncology, Hematology at Albertinen Hospital Hamburg

The Department of Adult and Pediatric Oncology, Hematology at the Albertinen Hospital Hamburgoffers the full range of modern diagnostic examinations and effective treatments for patients with malignant solid tumors, as well as malignant diseases of the hematopoietic system. The department's doctors admit patients of various age categories, including young children. The department's medical team maintains fruitful cooperation with the University Cancer Center Hamburg (UCCH), which is one of the most progressive medical facilities specializing in cancer treatment in Germany and Europe. The department offers all innovative methods of cancer treatment, thanks to which the specialists achieve excellent results even in especially complex clinical cases. The patients with advanced cancers are provided with high-quality palliative care aimed at relieving pain and improving the quality of life. All types of cancer are treated in interdisciplinary cooperation. The doctors provide an individual approach to each patient. Based on the specific clinical situation, the department's specialists offer the best combination of oncology treatments. The department is headed by Dr. med. Torsten Winterberg.

The key to successful cancer treatment is high-quality and accurate diagnostics, according to the results of which an interdisciplinary tumor board develops the optimal treatment regimen for the patient. The department's diagnostic options include various blood tests, including a tumor marker test, a blood smear microscopy, a coagulogram, as well as a bone marrow puncture, a biopsy, a bone marrow punctate smear test. In cooperation with the Department of Radiology, the department provides all kinds of imaging tests– ultrasound scanning, X-ray, CT and MRI scans, scintigraphy and others. Once the type of a tumor or a malignant hematological disease, its stage, location and other important data have been accurately determined, the doctors from related disciplines will cooperatively decide on the use of one or another treatment strategy. The department's patients are offered the widest range of therapeutic services, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy, antibody therapy, targeted therapy, treatment within clinical trials (by patient's agreement), etc.

The department's doctors devote enough time to counseling patients, telling them in detail about the upcoming treatment and possible complications on the way to recovery. Since cancer is a particularly complex diagnosis, the treatment includes not only drug therapy. The therapeutic process involves the experienced nutritionists who elaborate the correct diet for a patient with one or another type of cancer, as well as psycho-oncologists who help the patient and his loved ones cope with emotional distress caused by a terrible diagnosis of cancer. All these supportive measures combined with modern treatment methods allow the doctors to effectively cope with cancer and save a person's life.

The ​ department's doctors are also competent in cancer treatment in children, which requires a special approach. When treating young patients, the department's specialists involve the parents and loved ones of the child as much as possible in the treatment process, since the treatment itself causes great fear in the child. The psychologists work with children and their parents. In especially complex clinical cases, pediatricians specializing in a particular medical field are involved. This approach provides the child with the most effective treatment, taking into account the characteristics of the growing body. 

The department specializes in the diagnostics and treatment of the following malignancies:

• Gastrointestinal oncological diseases
  • Stomach cancer
  • Bowel cancer
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Rectal cancer
  • Biliary tract cancer
  • Liver cancer, including liver metastases
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Anal cancer
  • Peritoneal cancer
• Endocrine oncological diseases
  • Thyroid cancer
• Oncological diseases of the female reproductive system
  • Breast cancer
  • Uterine cancer
  • Cervical cancer
  • Ovarian cancer
  • Vaginal cancer
• Oncological diseases of the male reproductive system
  • Prostate cancer
  • Testicular cancer
• Oncological diseases of the urinary system 
  • Bladder cancer
  • Kidney cancer
  • Ureteral cancer
  • Renal pelvis cancer
• Oncological diseases of the hematopoietic system
  • Acute and chronic leukemias
  • Lymphomas
  • Malignant anemia
• Bone and soft tissue tumors
• Oncological diseases of the respiratory system
  • Lung cancer, including lung metastases
  • Pleural cancer
• Head and neck tumors, including brain cancer and brain metastases
• Cancer of unknown primary 
• Other types of cancer

The department's diagnostic and therapeutic service range includes:

• Diagnostics
  • Laboratory tests
    • Blood tests, including a tumor marker test, a blood smear microscopy, a coagulogram
    • Bone marrow puncture
    • Bone marrow punctate smear test
    • Biopsy
  • Imaging tests
    • Ultrasound scanning
    • X-ray
    • CT scan
    • MRI
    • Scintigraphy
• Treatment
  • Chemotherapy
  • Hormone therapy
  • Immunotherapy
  • Antibody therapy
  • Targeted therapy
  • Blood transfusion
  • Pain therapy
  • Puncture for ascites, pleural effusion, liquor hypertension
  • Palliative care
  • Treatment within clinical trials
• Other diagnostic and therapeutic options