Surgical treatment of cancer of the vulva (partial vulvectomy) in Alfried Krupp Hospital in Essen-Ruettenscheid

About the department

The Department of Gynecology, Mammology and Obstetrics at the Alfried Krupp Hospital in Essen-Ruettenscheid provides the full range of modern diagnostic and therapeutic services in the areas of its specialization. The team of the department's gynecologists successfully carries out both conservative and surgical treatment of diseases of the female reproductive system. The specialists of the medical facility achieve excellent results in the fight against gynecologic oncological diseases: uterine, cervical, ovarian, and vulvar cancers. The priority focus of clinical practice is also on the treatment of benign and malignant breast diseases, which is carried out within the specialized center certified by the German Cancer Society and the German Society of Senology. In addition, the department admits patients suffering from urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. In this field, the department has been awarded the quality certificate of the German Continence Society. The department's therapeutic offer is complemented by high-quality obstetric services, which include integrated management of pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care for a mother and her newborn. More than 1,000 babies are born in the department annually, so expectant mothers can be sure of the impeccable quality of medical services. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Regine Gätje.

The department's gynecologists quite often admit patients suffering from general gynecologic diseases such as polyps, uterine fibroids, endometrial pathologies, bleeding, cervical dysplasia, inflammatory diseases and others. Whenever possible, the department's specialists carry out treatment using conservative methods, but in some cases a surgical intervention is still required. The department's gynecologists give preference to minimally invasive surgical techniques, and therefore even in the case of surgery patients undergo the most sparing treatment.

In addition, the department has successful experience in providing medical care to women suffering from cancer of the reproductive system. Of particular interest to doctors is the diagnostics and treatment of uterine and cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and fallopian tube cancer. Since the development of a malignant tumor at the early stages is mostly asymptomatic, experts recommend the women to undergo regular preventive examinations. Should cancer be confirmed in a woman, gynecologists will develop the optimal treatment tactics. Oncologists and radiation therapists are also necessarily involved in the therapeutic process – doctors cooperatively consider each clinical case and possible treatment options, striving to develop the most effective, but at the same time sparing treatment regimen. When planning a course of therapy, not only clinical data are taken into account, but also the woman's age, since the decisive moment in young women is fertility preservation. Gynecologic cancer treatment is usually based on the surgical resection of the tumor, and the entire organ and adjacent tissues affected by the pathological process often have to be resected as well. To destroy the remaining cancer cells, an individually selected chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy regimen is used.

The department has a specialized Breast Center, the main task of which is breast cancer treatment. The health of women with this diagnosis is in the safe hands of a large interdisciplinary team of competent doctors, consisting of breast care specialists, gynecologists, oncologists, radiation therapists, psycho-oncologists and other experts. The first stage of the therapeutic process is diagnostics, including a complex of laboratory tests, ultrasound scans, mammography, biopsy. Sometimes additional X-ray, CT, MRI, skeletal scintigraphy and other diagnostic tests may be required. The obtained diagnostic data are considered during an interdisciplinary board, according to the results of which the necessary treatment is prescribed. The first-line therapy is surgical resection of the tumor and, in some cases, total mastectomy (breast removal). In 70% of cases, the department's specialists manage to perform breast-conserving surgery. Conservative breast cancer treatment methods include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and antibody therapy. Psychological care is also an integral part of the therapeutic process.

The department has a reputation of one of the best maternity hospitals in the region. All modern methods of monitoring the course of pregnancy in each trimester are available here, including high-risk pregnancies and multiple pregnancies. Three delivery rooms are equipped for childbirth, including one room with a tub for water childbirth. During childbirth, women are offered various methods of pain management – epidural anesthesia, acupuncture, aromatherapy, homeopathy, etc. With appropriate clinical indications, C-section is performed.

The department's range of medical services includes:

• Gynecology
  • Diagnostics and treatment of general gynecologic diseases
    • Bleeding
    • Polyps
    • Uterine fibroids
    • Endometriosis
    • Cervical dysplasia
    • Inflammatory processes in the female reproductive system
      • Conservative therapy (pharmacotherapy)
      • Surgical treatment (laparoscopy, laparotomy, hysteroscopy)
  • Diagnostics and treatment of gynecologic cancers
    • Uterine cancer
    • Cervical cancer
    • Ovarian cancer
    • Endometrial cancer
    • Fallopian tube cancer
    • Vulvar cancer
    • Vaginal cancer
      • Chemotherapy
      • Radiation therapy
      • Surgery
• Mammology
  • Diagnostics and treatment of breast cancer
    • Surgery
      • Mastectomy
      • Organ-conserving surgery
      • Reconstructive surgery with the use of autologous tissues, implants and expanders, including nipple and areola reconstruction
    • Conservative treatment
      • Chemotherapy
      • Radiation therapy
      • Hormone therapy
      • Antibody therapy
• Obstetrics
  • Integrated management of pregnancy 
  • Childbirth, including water birth and C-section (if clinically indicated)
  • Postpartum care for mother and newborn baby
• Other services