Department of Oncology - Dr. Ute Sendler Clinic Munich

About the Department of Oncology at Dr. Ute Sendler Clinic Munich

The Department of Oncology at the Dr. Ute Sendler Clinic Munich offers a wide range of services in its area of competence. The focus of the department's doctors is on patients with solid tumors and malignant diseases of the hematopoietic system. The specialists most often treat breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, leukemias, and lymphomas. One of the key areas of work of the department’s doctors is consulting patients with suspected cancer and providing a second opinion. The department also carries out comprehensive diagnostics for suspected cancer and systemic treatment of oncological pathologies. In the fight against cancer, the medical facility successfully uses individually developed regimens of chemotherapy, targeted therapy, antibody therapy, and immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies and immune checkpoint inhibitors, which is an innovative cancer treatment method. The department's specialists collaborate with oncologists from the Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich at the University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, which enjoys a reputation as one of the best medical institutions of its kind in Europe. The treatment complies with the requirements of the German Cancer Society (DKG).

The department is headed by Dr. med. Ute Sendler, a highly qualified oncologist with more than 20 years of successful clinical experience. She trained in the USA several times and worked for a long time at the University Hospital Rechts der Isar Munich.

The most demanded treatment in the department is chemotherapy, which is a method of systemic cancer treatment using cytostatic drugs. Chemotherapy stops the growth and division of cancer cells and prevents them from spreading to healthy organs. Before prescribing chemotherapy, the department’s specialists carry out a comprehensive diagnosis, based on the results of which clinicians determine the type of cancer and its stage and assess the advisability of chemotherapy. Depending on the patient's clinical indications, chemotherapy can be used as a stand-alone treatment method, carried out before surgery or radiation therapy (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) to shrink the size of the tumor, carried out after surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy) to destroy the malignant cells remaining in the body and prevent relapse, or be aimed at reducing the severity of symptoms and improving quality of life (palliative chemotherapy) for metastatic cancer. The department's oncologists most often administer chemotherapy drugs intravenously, but in some situations, the possibility of taking chemotherapy drugs as pills may also be considered. A course of chemotherapy consists of several cycles with breaks to allow the patient's body to recover. Chemotherapy is carried out in specially equipped, comfortable rooms under the supervision of competent physicians.

The department also conducts targeted therapy, which allows for a targeted attack on the tumor practically without affecting healthy tissue. Targeted therapy is often carried out in combination with chemotherapy and other types of cancer treatment. The action of targeted therapy is based on the use of drugs that block specific molecules in tumor cells, which allows them to be destroyed and prevents the emergence of new cancer lesions. Targeted therapy is highly effective even for advanced stages of cancer, and it does not cause severe side effects. The course of treatment is prescribed on an individual basis, depending on the molecular genetic characteristics of the identified oncological pathology. Targeted drugs are administered intravenously or taken orally. The department's oncologists most often carry out targeted therapy for patients with lung cancer and breast cancer.

The department's team of doctors successfully uses immunotherapy, an innovative method of treating cancer that has proven to be highly effective. The essence of immunotherapy is to activate the patient's own immune system to more successfully fight cancer. The department provides immunotherapy using monoclonal antibodies and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Monoclonal antibodies are active proteins in the immune system. Experts clone them in the laboratory and modify them so that they can detect malignant cells despite their "masking". Once in the patient’s body, monoclonal antibodies independently destroy cancer cells. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are medications that block signaling through immune checkpoints, allowing the patient's immune system to recognize, attack, and destroy cancer cells. Typically, immunotherapy drugs are administered intravenously. The optimal dose of the drug for the patient and the regimen of its administration are determined individually.

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

• Breast cancer
• Uterine cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Lung cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Colon cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Skin cancer
• Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors
• Bone and soft tissue sarcomas
• Head and neck tumors
• Leukemias
• Lymphomas
• Other cancers

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

• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy
• Antibody therapy
• Immunotherapy using monoclonal antibodies and immune checkpoint inhibitors
• Other treatment methods