Department of Oncology - Ballo and Böck Clinic Offenbach am Main

About the Department of Oncology at Ballo and Böck Clinic Offenbach am Main

The Department of Oncology at the Ballo and Böck Clinic Offenbach am Main offers the full range of medical services in its area of specialization. Cancer patients can receive consultations, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care, and palliative care here in accordance with international medical standards. The department also offers a second opinion, which allows for ensuring the accuracy of the diagnosis and/or treatment. The department's specialists have successful experience treating patients with breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, as well as patients with skin cancer, head and neck tumors, lymphomas, leukemia, and other oncological diseases. The department's team of oncologists provides systemic cancer treatment using chemotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy. A treatment regimen is developed individually after a complete diagnostic examination. In most cases, patients receive outpatient treatment, but if necessary, they may stay in the hospital. The course of treatment is developed based on current clinical protocols and the recommendations of professional cancer societies. The department has a friendly atmosphere. A comfortable infrastructure has been created here, so patients can fully concentrate on their treatment. The department is headed by PD Dr. med. Olivier Ballo.

The department's team of oncologists carries out systemic cancer treatment using chemotherapy almost every day. Along with surgical tumor removal and radiation therapy, chemotherapy is a fundamental method of combating cancer. Chemotherapy is a treatment method in which cytostatic drugs are used to systematically destroy cancer cells in the body; they are administered intravenously or taken orally in tablet form. In most cases, chemotherapy is combined with other therapeutic procedures, but if clinically indicated, it can be used as a stand-alone treatment method. Depending on the stage of cancer and treatment goals, the department's doctors carry out induction (curative), maintenance (for recurrence prevention), and palliative (for symptom relief) chemotherapy. Treatment is provided in cycles, so the periods of administration of chemotherapy drugs alternate with pauses for the patient's body to recover. The optimal dosage of cytostatics and the duration of treatment are determined individually by the attending physician.

The medical facility also offers targeted therapy, which is drug treatment with medications that intentionally attack specific targets in cancer cells. Due to their selective action, targeted drugs do not harm healthy cells, and the patient does not experience severe side effects. Targeted drugs are administered intravenously, although oral administration is also possible in some cases. Targeted therapy is often combined with chemotherapy. It is worth noting that targeted therapy is a personalized treatment method, so drugs are selected depending on the molecular genetic characteristics of the tumor. The department's oncologists successfully perform targeted therapy on patients with breast cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, and other oncological diseases.

The department's doctors also specialize in treating cancer using hormone therapy. The essence of this treatment is to suppress the synthesis of the patient's hormones that stimulate the growth of a malignancy. Hormone therapy is indicated for patients with hormone-dependent tumors such as breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, and prostate cancer. Hormone therapy is highly effective and well tolerated. Hormones are taken orally according to the regimen individually prescribed by the treating oncologist. Depending on the goals of the upcoming treatment, the patient receives neoadjuvant (before surgery to shrink the size of the tumor) or adjuvant (after the basic course of treatment to prevent cancer recurrence and progression) hormone therapy.

Immunotherapy is also part of the department's therapeutic offer. This method is a breakthrough in oncology and is offered only at the world's leading cancer centers. Immunotherapy allows doctors to fight cancer by activating the patient's immune system. The "masking" of cancer cells is eliminated with special drugs, allowing the immune system to recognize them as foreign and destroy them. Immunotherapy drugs are administered intravenously. The dosage and treatment regimen are individually prescribed. The most popular treatments in the department are immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Each patient stays under close medical supervision during treatment.

The department specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of the following oncological diseases:

• Breast cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Uterine cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Gastrointestinal cancers: stomach cancer, colon cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, and bile duct cancer
• Urinary tract cancer: bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and urethral cancer
• Lung cancer and malignancies of other organs of the respiratory system
• Skin cancer
• Head and neck tumors
• Central and peripheral nervous system tumors
• Bone and soft tissue sarcomas
• Leukemias
• Lymphomas
• Other malignancies

The department's range of therapeutic services includes the following:

• Systemic cancer treatments
  • Chemotherapy
  • Targeted therapy
  • Hormone therapy
  • Immunotherapy
• Second opinion
• Palliative care for patients with end-stage cancer
• Medical care for patients before and after bone marrow transplant procedures
• Other medical services