About the Department of Oncology at Rambam Health Care Campus Haifa
The Department of Oncology at the Rambam Health Care Campus Haifa provides the comprehensive diagnostics and treatment of malignant diseases of various organs and anatomical structures at the highest level of modern medicine. The department's experienced oncologists offer innovative treatment regimens using chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Of particular interest is also the effective palliative care aimed at improving the quality of life of patients with the advanced stages of cancer. The department is certified by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and is one of the leading specialized Israeli departments. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Irit Ben Aharon.
The key to successful cancer treatment is early diagnostics. All examinations are carried out using state-of-the-art equipment, according to strict and current protocols. The standard diagnostic services include biopsy, endoscopic procedures, imaging examinations (X-ray, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound examinations) and tumor marker tests. The diagnostic results are the basis for the selection of optimal treatment regimen taking into account individual clinical indicators and patient's needs.
The treatment can be carried out both on an inpatient and outpatient basis. The department cooperates closely with the US and European Cancer Research Centers, which allows the doctors to implement the high-performance cancer treatment technologies, such as intraoperative radiation and brachytherapy, chemotherapy, radiosurgery, immunotherapy, targeted and hormone therapy into everyday practice. The new developments change the modern understanding of the prognosis for patients suffering from advanced, recurrent and inoperable types of cancer.
The department offers the participation in clinical trials of new drugs or treatment methods for some patients. Such an alternative approach can often save or significantly prolong the life of a patient with advanced cancer.
The diagnosis of cancer is not an easy experience for a person. In this regard, the department also provide patients with psychological care. A confidential conversation with the doctor about all possible treatment options, including clinical trials, also helps the patients to think positively and believe in a successful treatment outcome.
The department specializes in the diagnostics and treatment of the following oncological pathologies:
- Head and neck tumors
- Laryngeal cancer
- Tongue cancer
- Salivary gland cancer
- Oral cancer
- Eye tumors
- Tracheal cancer
- Thyroid cancer
- Thymoma
- Tonsil cancer
- Tumors of the nervous system (neuro-oncology)
- Brain tumors
- Spinal tumors
- Breast tumors
- Breast cancer
- Paget's disease
- Tumors of the female reproductive system
- Cervical cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Uterine cancer
- Vulvar cancer
- Endometrial cancer
- Tumors of the genitourinary system and male reproductive organs
- Prostate cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Testicular cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Adrenal cancer
- Gastrointestinal tumors
- Esophageal cancer
- Colon cancer
- Rectal cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Gallbladder cancer
- Tumors of other organs
- Blood cancer
- Mediastinal tumors
- Lung cancer
- Skin cancer (melanoma, basal cell carcinoma)
- Soft tissue cancer (sarcomas)
- Bone cancer
- Lymph node cancer
- Other malignancies
The therapeutic service range of the department includes:
- Surgical treatment
- Stereotactic radiosurgery
- Radiosurgery (LINAC progressive linear accelerator)
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Targeted therapy (drug treatment for cancer, which directly affects cancer cells without harming healthy tissues)
- Immunotherapy (affects the patient's immune system, thereby stimulating it to cope with a malignant process)
- Hyperthermia
- Bone marrow transplantation
- Photodynamic therapy
- Laser therapy
- Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC)
- Blood transfusion
- Other treatment methods
Curriculum vitae
For more than 10 years, Prof. Irit Ben Aharon has been saving the lives of cancer patients. In addition to medical practice, she is actively engaged in research activities aimed at developing new, more effective and safer treatment methods for gastrointestinal cancer, especially in young patients. The antitumor treatment used today often causes pronounced side effects, such as loss of fertility. One of the main scientific purposes of the professor is to maintain the ability to bear children in cancer patients.
Prof. Irit Ben Aharon is the head of several researches. In addition, she studies the side effects of chemotherapy drugs in conjunction with other Israeli and American scientists. The professor was one of the co-authors of a scientific breakthrough – cryopreservation of eggs before chemotherapy in patients under the age of 18 years.
Prof. Ben Aharon received several prestigious awards for her active scientific work. She also repeatedly won research grants from the Israeli and foreign funds. Nowadays, the professor gives lectures at the Faculty of Medicine of the Tel Aviv University.
Prof. Irit Ben Aharon graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the Tel Aviv University in Israel. She received Doctoral Degree in embryogenesis and fertility there. The internship took place at the Davidoff Cancer Centre in the city of Petah Tikva in Israel. This was followed by compulsory foreign practice in embryogenesis and fertility at the National Institute of Health in the USA, in the field of oncofertility at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, USA, as well as in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, USA.
Dr. Irit Ben Aharon is a Member of the Israeli Society for Clinical Oncology and Radiation Therapy, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association for Cancer Research and the European Society for Medical Oncology.
Photo of the doctor: (c) Rambam Health Care Campus Haifa