Vienna (OTS) – On July 4, 2024, a symposium was held at the 1st Medical Department, Center for Oncology and Hematology with outpatient clinic and palliative care unit (cancer center) at the Ottakring Clinic. The department’s development over the past 10 years was presented and an outlook into the future was given.
In his opening speech, Michael Binder, Medical Director of the Vienna Health Association, said: “The Ottakring Clinic Cancer Center is one of the largest specialized clinics in Austria. The 1st Medical Department is the hub. With almost 20,000 patient contacts in the outpatient department, 8,200 day hospital treatments and 3,500 inpatient admissions, this department makes a significant contribution to the care of the Viennese population. The interdisciplinary team at the cancer center does excellent work.”
A brief review of the Covid pandemic showed the guests present that during this time an oncology ward became an intermediate care unit (IMCU) and thus the link between the intensive care unit and the normal ward. During these three years, the department operated a special ward, carried out ventilation and cared for over 500 patients. As a result, the employees have acquired a high level of expertise.
From 2014 to 2024, drug tumor therapy experienced a large number of innovative developments, which were impressively reported by the employees in short presentations. Terms such as targeted tumor therapy, immunotherapy and antibody-drug conjugates have revolutionized the field. Patients benefit from these innovative developments. Modern treatments are many times more effective and better tolerated than traditional therapies.
With this multitude of options, the complexity of the subject has also increased massively. The path of increasing specialization and the development towards an expert structure was an investment in the future. Teams of experts who work in special outpatient clinics were therefore trained at the 1st Medical Department.
The key to modern hematology and oncology is the tumor board, where all experts from different disciplines come together and specify the best path from diagnosis to therapy for each patient. Every year, 3,000 cases are discussed and documented in 250 meetings in seven specialized tumor boards.
The 1st Medical Department is an internationally recognized study center. In clinical studies, the latest treatments are critically examined and the experts can make their know-how available to patients. Furthermore, she has
acquired an excellent reputation as a training department. Several awards demonstrate this commitment. Between 2018 and 2023, a total of 314 young doctors completed part of their training here as part of rotations.
At the end of the symposium, Prof. Wolfgang Hilbe thanks you and says: “We experienced ups and downs as a team, but we were always inspired by our task, overcame the biggest crises and grew together as a team. We are proud to be involved in a leading role in these exciting times. Today we as a department looked back and at the same time looked to the future. We want to understand the innovations, develop them further and make them available to our patients.”
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Printable photos will be available for download shortly www.wien.gv.at/presse/bilder available.
Questions & Contact:
Daniel Hejna
Vienna Health Association
General Directorate
Corporate communications
Tel.: +43 664 7916465
daniela. flock@gesundheitsverbund.at