Focal points of the clinic

The Department of Internal Medicine III focuses on haematological, oncological, rheumatological and infectious diseases as well as palliative medical care for cancer patients in patient care, research and teaching.

With a focus on haematology (incl. the Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia Section)the Oncology Section and the Palliative Medicine the Department of Internal Medicine III is embedded in the CCCU (Comprehensive Cancer Centre Ulm). We are proud of the fact that the CCCU is a top oncology centre that has been awarded and funded by German Cancer Aid. In addition, the CCCU - together with the CCC Tübingen-Stuttgart - has also been one of four new sites of the National Centre for Tumour Diseases (NCT) as NCT SüdWest since February 2023.

The CCCU is certified as an oncology centre according to the criteria of the German Cancer Society. In addition, our clinic is certified as a haematology centre (Ulm Centre for Leukaemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma; ULLM). All our patients are discussed in interdisciplinary tumour conferences. The treatment concepts comply with current national and international standards and include conventional chemotherapies, immunotherapies with monoclonal antibodies and CAR-T cells as well as molecular-targeted therapies with a variety of innovative drugs, some of which are still undergoing clinical development. There is close cooperation with a network of resident haematologists/oncologists and surrounding hospitals.

The allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell and bone marrow transplantation unit has been in existence since 1972 and is one of the oldest in the world. The unit offers all currently possible variants of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (family donor, unrelated donor, haploidentical donor). In 2023, 83 allogeneic transplants were performed and all CAR-T cell therapies are also carried out on this ward.

A highly specialised ward with 16 single rooms is available for allogeneic stem cell transplants. All rooms have the appropriate sanitary facilities and ventilation technology with positive pressure and HEPA filtration. In addition, 100-130 autologous stem cell transplants are carried out at our clinic every year.

Our transplant unit is JACIE (Joint Accreditation Committee-ISCT [Europe] & EBMT) certified for allogeneic and autologous stem cell transplantation, as a centre for the collection of peripheral blood stem cells and for bone marrow harvesting as well as for CAR-T cell therapies.

The Infectiology Section is embedded in the Comprehensive Infectious Disease Centre (CIDC). The section focuses on the care of patients with infectious diseases (including COVID-19 infections) and tropical diseases, HIV and echinococcosis. The section is certified as a Centre for Clinical Infectiology in accordance with the criteria of the German Society for Infectiology (DGI).

Another important focus of the Department of Internal Medicine III is clinical research. Approximately 80 clinical therapy studies of phases I-IV are active, which are managed by a professionally organised, certified study centre. study centre organised and certified study centre. Clinical trials ensure that our patients can be treated according to the latest findings and have access to innovative drugs at a very early stage.

The Early Clinical Trials Unit (ECTU)- a unit for early clinical trials - is part of the CCCU (Comprehensive Cancer Centre Ulm) integrated. Early phase trials (phase 1/2) with innovative drugs are carried out in the unit. The unit is located in the immediate vicinity of the Medical Oncology Day Clinic (MOT). The unit is supervised by study physicians and highly qualified staff (study nurses, medical assistants, documentalists) who are specially trained in the supervision of clinical trials.

The Department of Internal Medicine III has 112 inpatient beds spread over 7 wards. It treats 3,000-3,200 inpatients and more than 20,000 outpatients every year.

Up to 37 patients can be cared for in the so-called sluice wing (ward 4c/d). All rooms are equipped with special air filtration to protect patients from infection. In particular, high-dose chemotherapy (including autologous blood stem cell transplantation) is carried out here for patients with acute leukaemia, malignant lymphomas and multiple myeloma, among others.

On the two haematology-oncology wards(ward 4a/b) all other patients with haematological and oncological as well as some rheumatological and general internal diseases are treated. The wards are part of the oncology section. In the oncology area, the focus is on the care of patients with bronchial carcinomas (lung cancer), sarcomas (connective tissue and bone cancer), germ cell tumours (testicular tumours), glioblastomas (brain tumours) and renal cell carcinomas (kidney cancer). Level 3 is home to the palliative care ward (ward 3p) with 8 beds; patients with all advanced forms of cancer are cared for on this ward.

The allogeneic blood stem cell and bone marrow transplantation unit (cEBKT ward) has a ward in the Surgical Clinic. This highly specialised unit has 16 beds with appropriate sanitary facilities and ventilation technology with positive pressure and HEPA filtration.

The Infection ward 1c on level 1 is specially equipped for patients with infectious diseases. The ward has 16 beds and is also equipped with special ventilation technology.

The Medical Oncology Day Clinic (MOT) is an ultra-modern and very patient-friendly unit for carrying out outpatient therapies. The MOT currently has 31 treatment places and is managed by our clinic.

For patients being treated in early phase clinical trials, a study unit, the Early Clinical Trials Unit (ECTU) with 4 outpatient therapy places and 2-4 inpatient beds is available.

In the university outpatient clinic we have set up numerous highly specialised consultation hours for you:

Haematology / haemostaseology / allogeneic transplantation

• Special outpatient clinic for general haematology
• Specialised outpatient clinic for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN)
• Specialised outpatient clinic for MDS, AML, ALL
• Specialised outpatient clinic for malignant lymphomas (incl. CLL)
• Specialised outpatient clinic for multiple myeloma
• Special outpatient clinic for haemostaseology (thrombophilia/haemophilia)
• Specialised outpatient clinic for allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Oncology

• Special outpatient clinic for thoracic and ENT tumours
• Special outpatient clinic for gynaecological and urological tumours
• Special outpatient clinic for brain tumours
• Special outpatient clinic for sarcomas and rare tumour entities

Rheumatology

• Special outpatient clinic for rheumatological diseases

Infectiology (Registration)

• Specialised outpatient clinic for infectious diseases
• Travelling consultation

Private consultation

In the various specialised outpatient clinics, we treat patients with the following diseases, among others:

Haematology: Acute myeloid (AML) and acute lymphoblastic (ALL) leukaemias; chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML); myeloproliferative neoplasms (PV, ET, OMF); myelodysplasia syndromes (MDS), malignant non-Hodgkin's and Hodgkin's lymphomas; chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL); multiple myeloma; aplastic anaemia, paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH); non-malignant haematological diseases.

Haemostaseology: thrombophilia; haemophilia.

Oncology: bronchial carcinomas; soft tissue and bone sarcomas; germ cell tumours; brain tumours; renal cell carcinomas; metastatic breast carcinoma.

Rheumatology: rheumatoid arthritis; spondyloarthropathies (ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, Reiter's disease, arthritis in inflammatory bowel disease), collagenoses (systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, poly/dermatomyositis, Sjögren's syndrome), vasculitides (leukocytoclastic vasculitides, Wegener's disease, Churg-Strauss syndrome). Wegener's disease, Churg-Strauss vasculitis, microscopic polyangiitis, panarteritis nodosa according to Kussmaul and Maier, giant cell arteritis).

Infectiology: COVID-19; HIV/AIDS; tuberculosis; echinococcosis; tropical medicine; malaria.

With its successes, particularly in haematological-oncological research the clinic has developed into a national and international centre of excellence in recent years. With its scientific publications and third-party funding, the clinic always occupies a top position in the rankings of the medical faculty and university.
It is very important to us to promote young scientists within the framework of structured junior scientist programmes ('Clinician-Scientist Programme') and to provide our medical staff ('Clinician-Scientists') with the best conditions for their career development.

The focal points of our research include

• Deciphering genetic defects and investigating their clinical significance in leukaemias, myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative diseases, malignant lymphomas and multiple myeloma
• Molecular haematopoiesis, mechanisms of leukaemogenesis
• Tumour immunology
• Molecular biology of cancer
• Clinical research (clinical studies)

Results from the research areas have been and are published every year in high-ranking journals (publications).

The clinic has a budget for research and teaching. These are funds from the state of Baden-Württemberg, which are provided by the Medical Faculty of the University of Ulm. Most of our scientific projects are funded by: German Research Foundation (DFG), German Cancer Aid, Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), European Commission, Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation, Wilhelm Sander Foundation, as well as the biotechnological and pharmaceutical industry.

Scientists at the clinic coordinate or are involved in numerous research programmes and scientific networks, including

• Network of centres of excellence in oncology - Comprehensive Cancer Center Ulm (CCCU) (funded by German Cancer Aid)
• National Centre for Tumour Diseases (NCT) - NCT-SüdWest (CCC-Tübingen/Stuttgart + CCCU) (funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, BMBF)
• Collaborative Research Centre SFB 1074 "Experimental Models and Clinical Translation in Leukaemia" (DFG-funded)
• Research Unit FOR 2764 "Aging-Related Epigenetic Remodelling in Acute Myeloid Leukemia" (DFG-funded)
• NGFN-Plus - National Genome Network (German Cancer Aid-funded)
• Else Kröner-Fresenius-Kolleg "Development and Implementation of Predictive Models for Realisation of Personalized Tumor Therapy "
• HARMONY PLUS - Healthcare Alliance for Resourceful Medicines Offensive against Neoplasms in Hematology (EU-funded)
• European LeukemiaNet (ELN)

The accredited Laboratory for Cytogenetic and Molecular Diagnostics (Head: Prof. Dr Konstanze Döhner) enjoys a high national and international reputation and is the reference laboratory for genetic diagnostics within the framework of numerous study groups, including the German-Austrian AML Study Group (AMLSG), the German Myeloproliferative Neoplasia Study Group (GSG-MPN), the German CLL Study Group (DCLLSG) (Head: Prof Stephan Stilgenbauer).

The study centre of the clinic coordinates all activities for the implementation of therapy studies of phases I to IV. It is also the study centre of the AMLSG and GSG-MPN.

The Department of Internal Medicine III fulfils its university training and teaching obligations in a variety of ways. In addition to lectures and seminars, various practical courses and patient-related courses (bedside teaching) are offered. The scientific staff at our clinic supervise a large number of doctoral students in medicine and molecular medicine.

Our staff are significantly involved in the Master's online study programme "Advanced Oncology", an online degree programme run by the Faculty of Medicine and the Comprehensive Cancer Center Ulm. In 2013, another e-learning programme was initiated with the European School of Oncology (ESO), the "Competence Certificate in Lymphoma", a one-year training programme on the biology and clinic of malignant lymphomas.