Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology (570330)

About the Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology at Municipal Hospital Karlsruhe

The Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology at the Municipal Hospital Karlsruhe provides the full range of medical services in these medical fields. The department specializes in high-precision diagnostics and optimal treatment of solid malignant tumors, benign and malignant diseases of the hematopoietic system. The department has been operating since 1970, therefore it has vast experience and unique developments that allow the specialists to effectively deal with cancer in children of various age groups – between the ages of 0 and 18. The department is one of the most successful and largest medical facilities of this kind in Germany. The specialists of the medical facility work in accordance with the current clinical protocols and guidelines of the German Society of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology (GPOH). Medical care is provided on both an inpatient and outpatient basis. Pediatric oncologists carry out drug therapy and chemotherapy, while radiation therapy and surgical treatment are performed by the doctors from the hospital's highly specialized departments. The Head Physician of the department is Dr. med. Alfred Leipold.

The department's specialists deal with the treatment of all malignant pathologies, including sarcomas, medulloblastomas, astrocytomas, ependymomas, malignant tumors of the kidneys, liver, thyroid gland, etc. The treatment is based on an integrated approach. The health of the young patients is in the safe hands of not only oncologists, hematologists and specially trained nursing staff, but also social workers, psychologists, physiotherapists, art therapists, music therapists, and teachers.

The responsibilities of pediatric oncologists of the medical facility include chemotherapy, immunotherapy and other modern types of drug therapy for cancer. If a child needs a surgical removal of a neoplasm, irradiation or a bone marrow transplant, the experienced specialists in these medical fields are then engaged in the therapeutic process. In some cases, naturopathic methods can also be used to maintain the proper health condition of the young patients and improve their quality of life.

The doctors spend enough time communicating with children and their parents, talking in detail about the features of the upcoming treatment and its expected results. It goes without saying that the main goal of the physicians is to achieve a complete cancer cure for a young patient. In addition to the correct treatment tactics, the patient's psychological mood also plays an important role in the fight against oncology, so the department has all the necessary conditions for the child to distract from the exhausting treatment process and get some positive emotions. For example, the department holds a clown show once a week, which helps the doctors to set the children in a positive mood for treatment.

Hematology is an integral part of the department's clinical practice as well. The doctors specializing in this medical field regularly admit patients with benign and malignant diseases of the hematopoietic system. The most common are leukemia, lymphoma, anemia, thalassemia, thrombocytopenia and other pathologies. The key treatment methods for hematological diseases are drug therapy, chemotherapy, and a bone marrow transplant.

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

• Oncology
  • Brain cancer
    • Neuroblastoma
    • Medulloblastoma
    • Astrocytoma
    • Ependymoma
  • Eye cancer: retinoblastoma
  • Sarcoma: Ewing's sarcoma, osteosarcoma, and soft tissue sarcoma
  • Thyroid cancer
  • Kidney cancer
  • Liver cancer
  • Laryngeal cancer
  • Malignant tumors of the ovaries and testicles in children
  • Rare malignant tumors
• Hematology
  • Malignant diseases
    • Leukemia
    • Hodgkin's lymphoma
    • Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
  • Benign diseases
    • Anemia: Fanconi anemia, aplastic anemia, hereditary and acquired anemia
    • Thalassemia
    • Hemoglobinopathies
    • Polycythemia
    • Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
    • Amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia
• Other oncological and hematological diseases

The department's diagnostic and therapeutic range of services includes:

• Diagnostics
  • Laboratory tests, including myelography (assessment of the cellular composition of the bone marrow)
  • Lumbar puncture
  • Biopsy
  • X-ray scanning
  • Ultrasound scanning
  • Computed tomography
  • Magnetic resonance imaging
  • Scintigraphy (isotope scanning)
• Therapy
  • Drug therapy
  • Chemotherapy
  • Immunotherapy
  • Surgical tumor removal (in cooperation with the specialized surgeons)
  • Radiation therapy (in collaboration with radiation therapists)
  • Bone marrow transplant (in cooperation with the specialized physicians)
• Other diagnostic and treatment methods

Photo of the doctor: (c) Städtische Klinikum Karlsruhe