Helios Wuppertal: Focus on esophageal and gastric surgery
© Michael Mutzberg

Helios Wuppertal: Focus on esophageal and gastric surgery

New center at Helios University Hospital Wuppertal bundles treatment options.

The last two years had really not been easy for Ms. F.. As a refugee, she had finally settled in Wuppertal after various stops and had tried to build a new life here with her children. Despite fleeing her homeland with all the blows of fate, everything seemed to be going well - until the 47-year-old began to experience increasing difficulty swallowing solid food. An early esophagoscopy performed by her family doctor revealed a diagnosis of cancer of the esophagus. Surgical treatment was promptly commenced at the new "Center West for Oesophageal and Gastric Surgery" at the Helios University Hospital in Wuppertal.

"The diagnosis of swallowing problems is not always initiated as quickly and consistently as in Mrs. F.'s case. We often only see patients when the tumor is at a very advanced stage, so that radiotherapy or chemotherapy has to be carried out before surgery."

- explains Prof. Dr. Gebauer, Director of the Surgical Clinic at Helios University Hospital Wuppertal.

Together with his colleague Prof. Dr. med. Wolfgang Schröder, who joined the team at the beginning of October as a leading specialist in esophageal and gastric surgery, Prof. Gebauer took over the treatment of the patient.

Both surgeons had previously worked together successfully at Cologne University Hospital in one of the largest German centers for oesophageal surgery and want to use their many years of experience here in Wuppertal to establish a large supra-regional center. Close cooperation with colleagues in private practice is particularly important to them. "Mrs. F.'s case clearly shows that short paths in the treatment chain for this complex disease are crucial for successful treatment, and this chain begins with the earliest possible preparation for the operation," explains Prof. Dr. Schröder.

The concept of the new center therefore also includes the newly established telephone hotline, which all patients and colleagues can find on the website and which they can use around the clock for all questions relating to diseases of the oesophagus and stomach.

In particular, modern surgical techniques are intended to reduce the frequency of post-operative complications, which in turn lead to faster wound healing and therefore earlier discharge of patients from hospital.

The formation of specialized centers with high case numbers is currently being promoted by healthcare policy. The aim is to noticeably improve the quality of treatment for individual patients. For this reason, the hospital plan in North Rhine-Westphalia was recently implemented with the allocation of service groups for complex operations and the hospital structure reform at federal level was passed in the Bundestag with the same aim. The two specialists are therefore delighted to be tackling such a task together here at Wuppertal Hospital with the support of the management.

Mrs. F. survived the operation well and was able to leave the hospital after just ten days. Even though the oesophageal tumor was completely removed, regular follow-up examinations are now necessary. "It is important for us to follow Mrs. F.'s progress after the operation and to stay in contact with the patient." The clinic also organizes accompanying services such as psycho-oncological support after treatment to strengthen mental health. Prof. Gebauer and Prof. Schröder agree that caring for cancer patients is much more than just the operation itself.


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