Drug therapy is an important component in the treatment of breast cancer and gynaecological tumours. This includes various drugs that are distributed throughout the body (systemic effect) and can attack tumour cells anywhere in the body. Which treatment is chosen for you depends on whether it is a preventive (adjuvant) therapy to prevent the occurrence of metastases or whether metastases are to be prevented from growing (palliative therapy).
In our consultation hours for complex/medical tumour therapy and oncological consultation hours, we will provide you with comprehensive advice on the possibilities of drug therapies, their integration into the treatment plan and possible side effects. We will also be happy to inform you about the possibility of treatment as part of clinical trials with access to new drugs. In our Interdisciplinary Oncological Day Clinic (IOT), the drug therapies are then mainly carried out on an outpatient basis. The IOT not only provides innovative, cutting-edge oncological medicine, but also a cosy, friendly atmosphere in which our patients can feel that they are in good hands during a stressful phase of their lives.
You can reach us by phone:
Mon to Thu: 07.30 - 16.00
Fri: 07.30 - 14.00
Consultation hour details "
You can reach us by phone:
Mon to Thu: 07.30 - 16.00
Fri: 07.30 - 14.00
Consultation hour details "
Phone 0731 500-58640
Fax 0731 500-58644
You can reach us by phone:
Mon to Thu: 08.00 - 15.45
Fri: 08.30 - 12.45
Consultation hour details "
The Interdisciplinary Oncological Day Clinic (IOT), which opened in November 2015, offers a protected unit with three treatment rooms and a total of 19 treatment places in a quiet and pleasant atmosphere. Around 8,000 treatments are carried out in the IOT every year. Depending on the therapy concept, you will receive chemotherapy, antibody therapies, anti-hormone therapies, immunotherapeutics and drugs that intervene in bone metabolism in our IOT.
Personalised care
Before starting treatment, you will be informed in detail about the therapy concept, the mode of action and the side effects. Together with the team at the study centre, we also offer you the opportunity to receive new innovative therapies as part of clinical studies. You will be looked after by our experienced team in the chemotherapy outpatient clinic. The head of the department, Professor Dr Jens Huober, is an internationally recognised specialist in drug-based cancer treatment. The doctors and nurses looking after you are specially trained in tumour therapy and will accompany you through this difficult time. Our aim is to master the therapy together with you. It is important to us to avoid or at least alleviate side effects in order to make the therapy as pleasant as possible for you. If necessary, we can offer you psycho-oncological support or counselling from the University Hospital's social counselling service on site at the IOT. The IOT also offers the possibility of nutritional counselling by a specially trained nutritionist. Cosmetic seminars and yoga courses are further services offered by our oncological day clinic.
We are there for you around the clock
Of course, we are also available around the clock to answer any questions or problems you may have between treatments. Even when the IOT is closed, you can contact the gynaecological clinic's emergency outpatient department at night or at weekends. You will receive help there quickly.
We are aware of the anxiety and stress that cancer and its treatment can cause you and your family. That is why, in addition to providing high-quality treatment, it is important to us that you have a safe, protective environment and, above all, that you feel that you are in good hands with us.
In addition to surgery and radiotherapy, drug therapy is an important pillar of cancer treatment. Which of these treatment options are necessary for you and in what order varies greatly from person to person. To ensure that you receive the optimal therapy for your situation, the therapy recommendation is determined in an interdisciplinary tumour conference. Specialists from various disciplines sit together here and work out a customised therapy for you.
The aim of chemotherapy is to prevent the growth of cancer cells in the body. In chemotherapy, the drugs (cytostatics) primarily act on dividing cells. Cytostatic drugs are cytotoxins that intervene in the cell division process. They either stop the cells from growing or prevent them from multiplying further. As tumour cells divide frequently, they are more likely to be attacked than normal tissue. The malignant cells present in the body can be specifically destroyed or their growth inhibited by chemotherapeutic drugs.
Chemotherapy is not necessary for every type of cancer. In the case of a breast cancer patient, the decision for or against chemotherapy depends, for example, on the characteristics of the breast cancer (tumour biology), its size, the lymph node involvement and the individual situation (age, previous illnesses, etc.). Our experts will be happy to advise you in detail.
What side effects can occur?
Most patients have many fears regarding the tolerability of chemotherapy. This is completely normal. However, the side effects of chemotherapy (e.g. nausea) can nowadays be prevented or at least alleviated by a variety of supportive therapies, so that you can continue to live as normal a life as possible during chemotherapy.
Preserving fertility before chemotherapy (fertility preservation)
Even if the diagnosis of cancer is initially about the specific therapy and cure of the disease, it is important for many women and men to be able to become parents after their treatment. As some medications can cause a reduction in fertility, our colleagues at the Fertility Centre offer those affected time and space for consultations on this topic even before cancer treatment.
You can find further information on the topic of fertility preservation on the website of our UniFee Fertility Centre.
Most malignant tumours of the breast are hormone-dependent. This means that female sex hormones (oestrogens) have a growth-promoting effect on the tumour. Withdrawing or blocking female sex hormones can therefore slow down or stop the growth of these tumour cells. Our pathology colleagues determine whether a tumour is hormone-dependent by examining tumour tissue that has already been removed to confirm the diagnosis. This involves examining whether so-called hormone receptors (oestrogen or progesterone receptors = receptor structures for female sex hormones) are present on the surface of the tumour cells. Depending on the respective situation of the patient and the menopausal status (before or after the menopause), we can use various hormone preparations in a targeted manner. We will be happy to advise you on the various endocrine therapies and find the right therapy for your personal situation.
Treatment with anti-oestrogens
Anti-oestrogens block the hormone receptors and displace the oestrogens from the hormone receptors. Or they ensure that the hormone receptors are down-regulated and lost. The preparations Tamoxifen and Fulvestrant belong to this group.
Treatment with aromatase inhibitors
Aromatase inhibitors block the enzyme aromatase and thus prevent the body's own production of oestrogen. Commonly used drugs are letrozole, anastrozole and exemestane. Aromatase inhibitors can only be used in patients with breast cancer after the menopause.
Treatment with GnRH analogues
In patients before the menopause, we can suppress ovarian function so that oestrogens are no longer produced in the body. The advantage of this drug therapy is that the ovary can resume its function after the drug is discontinued. Alternatively, we can also achieve this effect by surgically removing the ovaries. However, unlike drug therapy, this is not reversible.
What side effects can occur?
The most common side effects are menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, sweating and dry mucous membranes. Joint problems can also occur. Treatment with aromatase inhibitors can also lead to a reduction in bone density.
Bisphosphonates or denosumab are drugs that have a positive effect on bone metabolism by inhibiting the cells that break down bone. We use these drugs in patients with bone metastases to strengthen the bone and prevent or at least delay complications such as fractures or other bone complications. These bone-protecting drugs are also used to maintain bone density and prevent bone loss (osteoporosis). This is because the endocrine therapies frequently used for breast cancer can reduce bone density due to the resulting oestrogen deficiency and also lead to osteoporosis. These bone-directed therapies may also prevent the occurrence of bone metastases in patients with breast cancer. However, these drugs have not yet been authorised for this purpose.
In addition to chemotherapy, we also offer the option of using proteins (so-called antibodies) as tumour therapy. However, these drugs require certain prerequisites to be effective and cannot be used in every patient. Many antibody therapies require the detection of a specific protein on the surface of a cancer cell. Only in these cases can this drug be used successfully. Antibodies can prevent cell division, present the tumour cells to the body's own immune system or prevent the formation of new blood vessels that are needed for tumour growth.
What side effects can occur?
Most patients tolerate this particular form of therapy very well, which is why this treatment is also suitable for longer treatment periods. Flu-like symptoms or fever may occur during the first infusions, as the body's own defence system is stimulated. Certain bodily functions should be monitored closely, as antibody therapy can also have an effect on the heart, blood pressure or kidneys.
Immunotherapies help the body's own immune system to recognise and destroy cancer cells. Other drugs are designed to reverse resistance that tumour cells have developed to certain therapies or prevent this resistance from occurring in the first place. Some of these drugs are already being used successfully for other types of tumours. These new therapies are now also being investigated in trials for patients with breast cancer and gynaecological tumours. You can be sure that you will always receive the latest and most effective state-of-the-art therapies at our IOT!
Many new drugs have been developed in recent years, many of which cannot yet be used in everyday clinical practice. However, we can make these innovative therapies available to you as part of clinical trials. To this end, we have the support of our study centre at the IOT and also work under the umbrella of the Comprehensive Cancer Centre Ulm with the Phase 1 study unit (ECTU, early clinicals trial unit).
In cooperation with the non-profit organisation DKMS LIFE, we regularly offer cosmetics seminars for cancer patients. In a seminar lasting around two hours, participants receive tips on facial care and make-up. Under the motto "look good feel good", a cosmetics expert shows how the external consequences of the therapy can be concealed. In addition to the tips, participants will receive a bag with cosmetic and make-up utensils.
Registration:
Current dates and registration by telephone on 0731 500-58640 Participation is free of charge. The seminar is open to all cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
Further information:
DKMS LIFE gGmbH
www.dkms-life.de