The program includes:
- Initial presentation in the hospital
- Clinical history taking
- Evaluating the available medical reports
- General clinical examination
- Urological examination
- Laboratory tests:
- Complete blood count
- Biochemical analysis of blood
- Inflammation indicators (CRP, ESR)
- Indicators of blood coagulation
- Tumor markers, PSA
- Ultrasound scan of the urogenital system
- CT scan/MRI of the abdomen and pelvis
- Preoperative care
- Removal of prostate tumor metastases with a gamma probe
- Consultations of related specialists
- Symptomatic treatment
- Cost of essential medicines
- Nursing services
- Control examinations
- Stay in the hospital with full board
- Accommodation in 2-bedded ward
- Recommendations regarding further treatment
Indications
- Confirmed prostate cancer with suspected metastasizing
How program is carried out
During the first visit, the physician will conduct a clinical examination and go through the results of the available examinations. After that, you will undergo the necessary additional examination, such as the assessment of liver and kidney function, ultrasound scan of the abdominal and pelvic organs. Based on the results, the physician will determine the number and localization of metastases, and plan the upcoming intervention.
On the eve of the intervention, you will receive an injection of radioactively labeled PSMA. PSMA is the substance that binds to the smallest prostate cancer metastases in the lymph nodes and other tissues. The radioactive label will allow the surgeon to find all the metastases during the operation.
Removal of prostate tumor metastases with a gamma probe starts with general anesthesia. After anesthesia, the surgeon makes small incisions through which he inserts endoscopic instruments, a gamma probe and a video camera into the pelvic cavity and abdominal cavity. The gamma probe detects the lymph nodes affected by metastases by a radioactive label, and the surgeon removes them endoscopically. The video camera continuously transmits a three-dimensional image of the operating field in 12-fold magnification to the monitor.
As the surgeon sees the operating field in multiple magnification, he preserves the nerve endings and large blood vessels. This significantly reduces the surgical risks. The gamma probe, in turn, allows detecting and removing all metastases, which minimizes the risk of prostate cancer recurrence.
After the completion of the operation, you will be transferred back to the ward, under the supervision of the attending physician and nursing staff. Due to the minimal invasiveness of the operation and the short duration of general anesthesia, you will not need to stay in the intensive care unit for a long time.
Finally, the attending physician will evaluate the results of control examinations, schedule the date of discharge from the hospital and give you detailed recommendations for further follow-up and treatment.
Required documents
- Medical records
- PSA blood test
- MRI/CT scan (not older than 3 months)
- Bone scintigraphy (if available)
- Biopsy results (if available)
Service
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About the department
According to the Focus magazine, the Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology at the University Hospital RWTH Aachen ranks among the top German medical facilities specializing in prostate cancer treatment!
The department offers services for the diagnostics and treatment of diseases of the kidneys, urinary tract and pathologies of the reproductive organs in men. The therapeutic options are complemented by the treatment of urological problems in children. The department is headed by Prof. Dr. med. Thomas-Alexander Vögeli.
The department's doctors focus on the patients with oncopathologies (prostate cancer, renal cell cancer, bladder cancer, testicular cancer). Of particular interest is minimally invasive therapy of stones in the kidneys, ureters and bladder. The doctors have in their arsenal conventional and the very latest conservative, drug and surgical therapies, which allow them to achieve the best result in clinical cases of varying severity.
The department is proud of its Section of Robotic Surgery, the foundation of which allowed the medical facility to move to a new level of medical services. At the moment, the department's surgeons have a perfect command of robotic surgery techniques that have several advantages over the classical ones. The department also carries out a unique thermotherapy for bladder cancer treatment (HIVEC) using the Combat BRS system.
The department specializes in the treatment of the following urological diseases:
- Bladder diseases
- Bladder cancer
- Overactive bladder
- Testicular diseases
- Testicular cancer
- Urinary incontinence in men and women
- Kidney diseases
- Kidney cancer
- Kidney and ureter stones
- Prostate diseases
- Prostate cancer
- Urological diseases in children
- Other pathologies
The main clinical focuses of the department include:
- Drug treatment (including cancers)
- Classic surgical interventions
- Minimally invasive treatment for kidney and ureter stones
- Reconstructive surgery in urinary incontinence
- All types of urinary diversion after radical cystectomy
- Robotic surgery using the innovative da Vinci surgical system
- Radical prostatectomy
- Radical cystectomy (bladder resection) in bladder cancer
- Partial and radical nephrectomy (kidney resection) in kidney cancer
- Pyeloplasty
- Reconstructive interventions on the ureters (for example, in stenosis)
- Other therapeutic options
Curriculum vitae
Education and Professional Сareer
- 1975 - 1982 Study of Human Medicine, Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg.
- 1983 - 1984 Assistant Physician, Department of Urology, Bundeswehr Hospital Giessen.
- 1984 - 1985 One-year practice (Surgery), Hofgarten Hospital Aschaffenburg.
- 1986 Research Fellow, Department of Urology, University Hospital Duesseldorf.
- 1986 Doctoral thesis defense with honors, University of Giessen.
- 1990 Board certification in Urology, Medical Association of North Rhine.
- 1991 Acting Head of the Department and Development Specialist of the Section of Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Duesseldorf.
- 1995 Senior Physician, Department of Urology, University Hospital Duesseldorf.
- 1995 Habilitation and Venia legendi in Urology, University of Duesseldorf.
- 1996 C2 Assistant Professor.
- 1998 - 2004 Leading Senior Physician and Deputy Head of the Department of Urology, University Hospital Duesseldorf.
- 2002 Additional qualification in Urological Surgery, Medical Association of the North Rhine, as well as appointment as Examiner in Urology, Medical Association of North Rhine.
- 2003 Extraordinary Professor.
- 2004 Chief Physician, Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology, Aachen Medical Center.
- 2007 Advanced training in Drug Therapy for Cancers.
- 2009 Advanced Training in Andrology, Medical Association of North Rhine.
- 2011 Commission Member on the development of S3 guidelines for prostate cancer treatment.
- 2016 Head of the Department of Adult and Pediatric Urology at the University Hospital RWTH Aachen.
Scientific Awards
- 1989, 1998, 2005, 2010 Paul Mellin Prize, North Rhine-Westphalian Association of Urology.
- 1993 Award at the European Symposium on Urolithiasis.
- 1995 Peter Bischoff Prize, North German Society of Urology.
- 1997 Heinrich Warner Prize in Urological Oncology.
- 2000 Award in Urological Oncology, European Association of Urology.
- 2001 BARD Award of the German Society of Urology.
- 2002 Maximilian Nitze Prize of the German Society of Urology.
- 2003 Scholar Award of the European Association of Urology.
- 2009 Bernd Schönberger Prize of the Working Group on Kidney Transplantation of the German Society of Urology.
Membership and Cooperation in Scientific Organizations, Committees
- Board Member of the Working Group on Urological Oncology of the German Cancer Society.
- Board Member of the Interdisciplinary Working Group on Testicular Tumors of the German Cancer Society.
- Commission Member on the development of prostate cancer treatment guidelines of the German Society of Urology.
- Commission Chairman for the development of prostate cancer treatment guidelines, European Society of Urology
- Board Member of the European Society for Urological Oncology.
- Council Member of the European Germ Cell Cancer Consensus Group.
- Focus working group on Testicular Tumors of the French Cancer Society.
- Advisory Member of the Society of Urological Oncology, Belarus.
- Advisory Member of the Society of Urological Oncology, Russia.
- Advisory Member of the Society of Urological Oncology, Turkey.
Photo of the doctor: (c) Uniklinik RWTH Aachen
About hospital
According to the prestigious Focus magazine, the University Hospital RWTH Aachen ranks among the top German hospitals!
As a maximum care university medical facility, the hospital guarantees patients first-class medical services combined with a respectful and human attitude. The hospital integrates all the modern options for the accurate diagnostics, effective therapy and productive research activities within one specialized center.
The hospital has more than 60 departments, institutes and interdisciplinary centers. A competent team of professionals, consisting of more than 7,000 employees (more than 940 doctors, including about 95 professors), takes care of the patients' health. In addition, multidisciplinary teams of nurses, physiotherapists, as well as medical and technical staff are available here. The patients and respectful attitude to their social, cultural and religious affiliations are at the center of all employees' efforts.
The cornerstone of the successful clinical practice is the innovative technical base. The hospital offers the most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic equipment. Thus, the hospital has all the resources in order to provide top-class medical services.
Photo: (с) depositphotos
Accommodation in hospital
Patients rooms
The patients of the University Hospital RWTH Aachen live in comfortable single and double rooms. All patient rooms are designed with large windows, so one can enjoy a beautiful landscape view. Each patient room has an ensuite bathroom. The standard room furnishing includes an automatically adjustable bed, a bedside table, a spacious wardrobe, a TV, a radio and a telephone. Also, there is Wi-Fi access.
Meals and Menus
The patient and his accompanying person have a daily choice of three menus. If for any reason you do not eat all the foods, you will be offered an individual menu. Please inform the medical staff about your dietary preferences prior to the treatment.
Further details
Standard rooms include:
Religion
Religious services are available upon request.
Accompanying person
During the inpatient program, an accompanying person may stay with you in a patient room or at the hotel of your choice.
Hotel
During the outpatient program, you can live at a hotel of your choice. Managers will help you to choose the most suitable options.
The hospital offers a full range of laboratory tests (general, hormonal, tests for infections, antibodies, tumor markers, etc.), genetic tests, various modifications of ultrasound scans, CT scans, MRI and PET / CT, angiography, myelography, biopsy and other examinations. Treatment with medications, endoscopic and robotic operations, stereotaxic interventions is carried out here, modern types of radiation therapy are also used. The hospital offers patients all the necessary therapeutic techniques.
- Embolization of tumors and vascular malformations
- Aortic surgery, including in children
- Radiosurgical interventions in the head and body region
- Cochlear implantation
- Treatment of all types of sports injuries
These are pathologies of the brain and spinal cord, benign and malignant tumors of various localizations, congenital and acquired heart defects, joint pathologies, stroke, neurodegenerative diseases, eye injuries, inflammatory skin diseases, allergies and other pathologies.
- Oncology (EU Regional Center for Comprehensive Cancer Care Aachen)
- Pediatric cardiac surgery
- General and abdominal surgery
- Plastic and burn surgery
- Pediatric and adolescent medicine
Over 940 highly qualified doctors work at the hospital.