Cancer Centers are the future of oncological treatment
Skills and technology are pooled – efficiency rises in Cancer Centers
Europe is committed to the creation of certified cancer centers specialized in the fight against cancer. The goal of cancer centers is to develop interdisciplinary and specialized care concepts and achieve an improvement in treatment quality. In order to be listed as a certified center, clinics and hospitals in Germany must meet certain certification requirements. These include performing a certain number of procedures. Whether this criterion is really meaningful when it comes to the quality of cancer centers is questionable, however. At any rate, international studies with growing numbers of cases have been able to demonstrate an improved survival rate in women with breast cancer as well as men with prostate cancer.
In addition to case numbers, there are further requirements that cancer centers must meet. The most important of these also include investment in staff and equipment. Quality meetings, tumor conferences and improved documentation should also come as standard and improve the chances of recovery for patients in the cancer centers. In any case, there are still no consistent legal regulations or standards by which cancer centers can be qualified, and nor are there any financial incentive schemes. Nevertheless, a steady increase in centers has been observed over recent years. In particular, specialist centers for the treatment of breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer or lung cancer are being set up. For many clinics and clinic associations, it has been shown that the best way to resolve competition and ever tightening financial constraints in health care is through focusing and specialization.
Radiotherapy centers on the heels of cancer centers
When it comes to treating cancer, radiotherapy is continuously providing better and more precise treatment and is therefore an indispensable part of oncology. For this reason, the creation of radiotherapy centers in parallel to the development of cancer centers is a logical step. There are also no clearly defined quality standards for these centers either. Modern radiotherapy systems are therefore in the best position to also be prepared for potential legal requirements in future. The Radiotherapy Patient System RPS extended is cost-efficient to run and is a state-of-the-art option available for the new construction of radiotherapy centers. Patients can be prepared for radiation treatment in three connected rooms in parallel. The RPS calls one patient forward for radiotherapy while the others are getting ready or are leaving the treatment platform after radiotherapy. This means that the linear accelerator is constantly at capacity. More patients than before benefit from radiotherapy, while preparation takes place in a more focused yet relaxed manner.
Are you planning a cancer center or radiotherapy center? Then please get in touch with us. Write us an email to info@gkteso.de.
