Concerning cancer
The King Albert II Institute of the Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc has fifteen multidisciplinary groups. Each group is specialized in one type of tumor. Each patient's case is discussed individually and specifically at these multidisciplinary meetings, which guarantees optimal care, a highly accurate diagnosis including the latest technological advances and a personalized treatment based on the experience of the multidisciplinary group and the most recent advances in medicine and surgery.
What is cancer?
Cancer is a generic term for a group of diseases occurring in all tissues made up of cells potentially capable of division.
The distinctive feature of cancer is uncontrolled multiplication of cells. Initially, this multiplication occurs locally, forming masses or tumours at the point of origin. For example, one early symptom of breast cancer is a lump in the breast. Sometimes, it may spread to other organs located some distance away, causing metastases to form. These metastases are similar to the original tumour, despite not being in the organ in which the tumour started.
Our approach: effective and human drugs
A global approach
We do not care simply for tumours; rather, we care for the whole patient. The King Albert II Institute is an integral part of Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc. This means that all patients treated in our institute have a guarantee of global care, which takes account of all the elements relating to their state of health.
For example, cancer patients with diabetes will be given global care, benefiting from the expertise of different doctors treating the cancer and the diabetes in the same location. Patients are also guaranteed perfect communication between all carers, thus guaranteeing each carer full knowledge of what is on the patient’s medical file.
Multidisciplinary approach
The Cliniques Universitaires Saint Luc King Albert II Institute contains several multidisciplinary groups, which cover all types of cancer and, as their name suggests, consist of specialists from different disciplines: oncologists, haematologists, radiotherapists, house doctors, surgeons, radiologists, anatomopathologists and genetic specialists. Each group specialises in one type of cancer (for example, the “breast tumours discussion group”).
Each patient’s case is discussed individually and specifically during multidisciplinary meetings, thus guaranteeing optimum care and personalised treatment, based on the expertise of the multidisciplinary group, international literature and the most recent scientific progress in diagnostic and therapeutic tools.
Humane approach
Each multidisciplinary group has an associated Oncology Care Co-ordinator or CSO. The CSO is the patient’s reference point, monitoring patients throughout the treatment, providing perfect co-ordination between specialist doctors, and organising timetables for examinations and treatments to optimise the patient’s chances of remission.
The CSO is also responsible for collecting patients’ medical data. These data enrich the database essential for research into new treatments against cancer.
Cancer Centre psychologists are available to patients and their families, to help manage difficult situations.
The teatching approach
The King Albert II Institute is an integral part of Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, which has a basic threefold teaching mission: to provide top-quality care, develop up-to-date research and offer excellent teaching facilities. All these activities are grouped together on the same site, guaranteeing optimal interaction between the various actors. This close collaboration between researchers and clinicians allows us to perfect new treatments aimed at improving the prevention, treatment and cure of cancer. The King Albert II Institute patients are the first to benefit from the proximity and exchanges.