Diagnosis of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) in University Hospital Halle (Saale)

About the department

The Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Pulmonology at the University Hospital Halle (Saale) specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of the entire spectrum of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, hepatobiliary system, and respiratory tract. The gastroenterologists and hepatologists of the department focus on patients with oncological diseases of the digestive system, pancreas and gallbladder, neuroendocrine tumors, benign liver and pancreatic diseases, and chronic inflammatory bowel disease. In the field of pulmonology, the medical facility specializes in the treatment of bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial lung disease, lung, bronchial, tracheal, and laryngeal cancers, and cystic fibrosis. The department has state-of-the-art endoscopic equipment that allows physicians to perform a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Patients also have access to comfortable ultrasound rooms and a laboratory for functional diagnostics of the gastrointestinal tract. The department's team of physicians works closely with abdominal and thoracic surgeons to ensure that each patient receives effective treatment that meets their individual needs and desires. The Head Physician of the department is Prof. Dr. med. Jonas Rosendahl.

The main clinical focus of the gastroenterologists and hepatologists of the department is the diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: stomach, esophagus, pancreas, small and large intestine, bile ducts, and liver. In the diagnosis of suspected cancers, the department's specialists perform ultrasound and advanced endoscopic examinations, including contrast-enhanced endosonography and elastography. When clinically indicated, the department also offers imaging tests (CT and MRI scans) and/or radioisotope examinations (scintigraphy and PET) in cooperation with radiologists and nuclear medicine specialists. With all of the diagnostic data in hand, the department's physicians work with surgeons, oncologists, and radiation therapists to plan treatment tactics. Gastroenterologists perform endoscopic procedures to remove colon polyps and adenomas (precancerous conditions) and early-stage stomach and esophageal tumors. If necessary, oncologists may be involved in the therapeutic process. They provide systemic treatment with chemotherapy, targeted therapy, antibody therapy, and immunotherapy. In the advanced stages of oncology, patients are indicated for surgery, which is performed by abdominal surgeons.

The medical facility regularly admits patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and microscopic colitis. At the diagnostic stage, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, ileocolonoscopy, small bowel capsule endoscopy, double balloon enteroscopy, endosonography, and classical ultrasound are performed. The treatment regimen is developed individually for each patient. The first-line treatment is drug therapy, including innovative biologics. In more complex cases, the department's gastroenterologists use endoscopic procedures.

The department provides a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic services for patients with liver disease, including pre- and post-transplant medical care. Diagnostic capabilities in the field of hepatology include classical sonography, contrast-enhanced ultrasound scans, percutaneous liver biopsy, transjugular liver biopsy, and hepatic venous pressure gradient measurement. Patients are also offered imaging and radioisotope diagnostics. If liver malignancies are detected, radiofrequency thermal ablation and microwave ablation, as well as transarterial chemoembolization and selective internal radiation therapy (in cooperation with radiologists and radiation therapists) are successfully used. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting (TIPS) is performed for bleeding from esophageal varices in patients with cirrhosis.

An integral part of the work of the department's medical team is the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary diseases. The specialists of the department are particularly interested in the medical care of patients with lung cancer, bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease, and cystic fibrosis. In cases of suspected lung, bronchial, tracheal, and laryngeal cancers, a comprehensive diagnosis is performed using instrumental, imaging, and laboratory diagnostic methods. If a cancer diagnosis is made based on the results of the preliminary examination, the patient's clinical case is discussed in a weekly interdisciplinary tumor board with the participation of pulmonologists, thoracic surgeons, oncologists, radiation therapists, radiologists, and nuclear medicine specialists. For the removal of early-stage lung and bronchial tumors, the department's pulmonologists offer laser therapy, photodynamic therapy, cryotherapy and argon plasma coagulation.

The department's pulmonologists also specialize in stenting to relieve airway stenosis, argon plasma coagulation, and bronchial artery embolization to stop bleeding in the respiratory tract. In addition, the department has successful experience in bronchoscopic lung volume reduction through the implantation of special valves and coils, and steam ablation.

The department diagnoses and treats the following diseases:

• Gastroenterology
  • Malignant diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
    • Stomach cancer
    • Colon cancer
    • Esophageal cancer
    • Neuroendocrine tumors
  • Benign diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
    • Peptic ulcer disease
    • Gastric and colon polyps
    • Gastritis
    • Colitis
    • Chronic inflammatory bowel disease: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
• Hepatology
  • Malignant diseases of the hepatobiliary system
    • Liver cancer
    • Gallbladder and bile duct cancer
    • Pancreatic cancer
  • Benign diseases of the hepatobiliary system
    • Cholecystitis
    • Pancreatitis
    • Hepatitis
    • Cirrhosis
    • Liver cysts
• Pulmonology
  • Malignant diseases of the respiratory system
    • Lung cancer
    • Bronchial cancer
    • Tracheal cancer
    • Laryngeal cancer
  • Benign diseases of the respiratory system
    • Bronchial asthma
    • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
    • Interstitial lung disease
    • Cystic fibrosis
• Diagnostics and treatment of other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, hepatobiliary system, and respiratory system

The range of diagnostic and therapeutic services provided by the department includes the following:

• Gastroenterology and hepatology
  • Diagnostic services
    • Endoscopic diagnostic procedures
      • Gastroscopy
      • Colonoscopy
      • Chromoendoscopy
      • Endosonography
      • Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
      • Capsule endoscopy
      • Cholangioscopy
    • Ultrasound examinations
      • Classical ultrasound examinations
      • Color duplex sonography
      • Contrast-enhanced sonography
    • Functional diagnostics of the gastrointestinal tract
      • Breath tests
        • Breath tests to detect lactose, fructose, and sorbitol intolerance
        • Breath tests to detect disaccharidase deficiency
        • C-urea breath test to detect Helicobacter pylori
        • Lactulose breath test to detect Orocecal transit time of various carbohydrates
      • Hinton test
      • Hepatic venous pressure gradient measurement
      • Transjugular liver biopsy
      • Esophageal and anorectal manometry
      • Twenty-four-hour pH-metry
  • Therapeutic services
    • Endoscopic therapeutic procedures
      • Endoscopic mucosal resection (mucosectomy) and endoscopic submucosal dissection for early-stage gastrointestinal cancers
      • Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for pancreatic and bile duct diseases
      • Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage
      • Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting
    • Ultrasound-guided therapeutic procedures
      • Ultrasound-guided liver and pancreatic puncture
      • Percutaneous ultrasound-guided drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts and infected pancreatic necrosis
      • Ultrasound-guided radiofrequency thermal ablation for primary and secondary liver tumors
      • Ultrasound-guided percutaneous ethanol injection for hepatocellular carcinoma
• Pulmonology
  • Diagnostic services
    • Endoscopic diagnostic procedures
      • Autofluorescence bronchoscopy
      • Endobronchial ultrasound
  • Therapeutic services
    • Endoscopic therapeutic procedures
      • Flexible and rigid bronchoscopy for stent placement, argon plasma coagulation, cryotherapy, laser therapy, and endobronchial brachytherapy
      • Bronchoscopic lung volume reduction
      • Bronchial artery embolization (in collaboration with radiologists)
• Other diagnostic and therapeutic options