Diagnosis of choriocarcinoma in HELIOS University Hospital Wuppertal

About the department

The Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Mammology at the HELIOS University Hospital Wuppertal offers high-precision diagnostics and many modern treatments for women's health restoration. The team of the department's doctors specializes in the treatment of the full range of diseases of the female reproductive system and breast. The department is rightfully proud of its status as a certified Gynecologic Cancer Center and a certified Breast Cancer Center of the German Cancer Society (DKG) – only the leading medical facilities in Germany receive certificates of this society, the level of which corresponds to modern standards of European medicine. In most cases, surgical treatment of gynecologic diseases is carried out using minimally invasive techniques, which are the standard of modern surgery. In the course of cancer treatment, oncologists, radiologists, radiation therapists and other specialists are involved in the therapeutic process. In cooperation with gynecologists, they develop an optimal treatment regimen for the patient. An integral part of the department's clinical practice is the provision of obstetric services. Expectant mothers are provided with integrated management of pregnancy and high-quality postpartum care. There are 5 modern delivery rooms equipped with everything necessary for a successful and safe childbirth. The department's medical team works for the benefit of its patients, and also does everything possible to meet the needs and wishes of women as much as possible.

The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Markus Fleisch. The professor is a recognized expert in the professional medical community and has been conducting successful clinical practice for many years. Dr. Fleisch underwent professional training in America, and also worked for a long time at the University Hospital Duesseldorf – one of the best in Germany.

The primary focus of the department's gynecologists is to provide medical care to women suffering from cancer. The medical facility specializes in the treatment of uterine and cervical cancers, ovarian, endometrial, vulvar, vaginal and fallopian tube cancers. The patients with the above-mentioned oncological diseases receive medical care in a highly specialized center certified by the German Cancer Society (DKG). The patients' health is in the safe hands of the interdisciplinary team of highly qualified doctors: gynecologists, oncologists, surgeons, urologists, radiation therapists, psychologists. The specialists regularly meet at tumor boards to develop optimal therapeutic regimens based on the stage of the oncological process, the presence or absence of metastases, the patient's age and other factors. When treating cancer in women of childbearing age, special attention is paid to the preservation of reproductive function. The successful treatment of gynecologic cancer mostly requires surgical resection of the malignant tumor. The department's surgeons always give preference to minimally invasive surgery, which excludes severe trauma to the skin and soft tissues, and surgical access is provided through one or several skin incisions 1-1,5 cm in size. The department's surgeons have vast experience in performing such interventions, so the patients can be confident that their health is in good hands. In most cases, surgery is the first-line treatment, but additional therapeutic procedures are required as well, in particular, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. In collaboration with radiation therapists, cancer patients receive such innovative types of irradiation as intraoperative radiation therapy and brachytherapy (internal irradiation). With appropriate clinical indications, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy and other types of treatment can be carried out as well.

Mammology occupies an important place in the department's clinical practice. The doctors specializing in this medical field admit patients with benign and malignant breast diseases. Due to the fact that breast cancer is one of the most common pathologies in women, experts pay key attention to the treatment of this particular oncological disease. Women with suspected breast cancer undergo diagnostics and treatment in a specialized center certified in accordance with the requirements of the German Cancer Society (DKG). The certificate confirms the use of modern approaches to breast cancer treatment and high treatment success rates. The therapeutic process begins with comprehensive diagnostics, including 3D and 4D ultrasound scans, mammography, tomosynthesis, biopsy with further examination of the tissue sample. If the diagnostic results confirm the presence of cancer in a woman, further therapeutic measures are determined at the interdisciplinary tumor boards. As a rule, the first and the main part of the treatment regimen is the surgical removal of the malignant tumor. In most cases, the department's specialists perform organ-preserving surgery, but at the advanced stages of cancer, total breast removal (mastectomy) is often required. The department maintains close cooperation with plastic surgeons who have a wide range of techniques to restore the aesthetic appearance of the breast after breast resection. To successfully fight breast cancer, conservative therapies are also required, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, antibody therapy, etc. All therapeutic procedures are prescribed strictly on an individual basis, based on the particular clinical case.

The department also provides high quality obstetric services. The specialists in this field have vast experience in the pregnancy management, including multiple pregnancies and high-risk pregnancies, childbirth and caring for the mother and baby after childbirth. The department has five modern delivery rooms, an operating room for C-sections and an intensive care unit for newborns and premature babies. Childbirth is one of the most amazing and happy events in a woman's life, so the team of the department's obstetricians makes sure that everything goes at the highest level.

The department's range of medical services includes:

• Gynecology
  • Diagnostics and treatment of benign gynecologic diseases
    • Uterine fibroids
    • Endometriosis
    • Cervical dysplasia
    • Abnormal uterine bleeding
    • Chronic pain in the lower abdomen
    • Urogynecologic diseases: urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse
  • Diagnostics and treatment of malignant gynecologic diseases
    • Uterine cancer
    • Cervical cancer
    • Ovarian cancer
    • Endometrial cancer
    • Vulvar cancer
    • Vaginal cancer
    • Fallopian tube cancer
• Mammology
  • Diagnostics and treatment of benign breast diseases
    • Mastitis
    • Cyst
    • Fibroadenoma
  • Diagnostics and treatment of malignant breast diseases
    • Breast cancer
• Obstetrics
  • Integrated management of pregnancy, including multiple pregnancies and high-risk pregnancies
  • Childbirth – vaginal delivery and C-section
  • Postnatal care for mother and newborn
• Other medical services

The department's therapeutic options include:

• Conservative treatment
  • Drug therapy
  • Chemotherapy
  • Radiation therapy, including intraoperative radiation therapy and brachytherapy
  • Antibody therapy
  • Palliative care
• Surgery
  • Minimally invasive surgery for diseases of the female reproductive system and breast
  • Organ-preserving surgery (in breast cancer treatment)
  • Plastic reconstructive surgery after breast resection
• Other conservative and surgical treatments