Tumor board for Thoracic Malignancies
The clinics of the Lung Cancer Center at the Inselspital Bern are the main contact points for the treatment of new growths in the organs in the chest and the chest itself.
The new growths include both benign and malignant tumors.
The neoplasms in the chest mainly include:
- Neoplasms of the lungs (especially lung cancer)
- Neoplasms of the pleura (especially malignant mesothelioma)
- New growths of the mediastinum (mediastinum)
Weekly Tumor Conference
The specialists for the treatment of neoplasms in the chest meet weekly to discuss all patient cases with neoplasms in the chest area = “Tumor Board for Thoracic Malignancies” (tumor conference).
Tumor board for thoracic malignancies always takes place on Mondays from 4 p.m.
As the disease progresses, the tumor cases are repeatedly discussed at the tumor board for thoracic malignancies if specific questions arise.
Once tumor therapy has been completed, there is a repeated presentation and discussion at the tumor board to document the success of the therapy.
Therapy Decision by Consensus
Discussions about new growths in the chest take place without the relevant patient present. We are of the opinion that the treating doctors must first make decisions freely, depending solely on the patient's condition, the tumor type and the tumor stage.
In a second step, the responsible doctors discuss the decision of the tumor board for thoracic malignancies with the affected patients. If the patients speak out against the decided procedure, this is discussed and documented at the tumor board. We strive to always make a therapy decision by consensus. Tumor cases in which it is particularly difficult to reach a consensus decision on treatment are discussed again at a special conference twice a year. This ensures that the core team for the treatment of neoplasms in the chest constantly strives to question and improve its competence.