Oncology

Oncology Unit

UO DH Center (Day Hospital)

MAC (Complex Outpatient Macroactivity)

The Oncologist is the reference specialist for the patient affected by malignant neoplasia, and interacts in close synergy with all the specialists who are involved in the diagnosis and treatment process, in all phases of the disease.

Oncology was born within Casa di Cura Igea in 1998, initially called Oncology Medicine, and since 2022 reclassified as Oncology Operating Unit; since then it has been dedicated to the global care of adult cancer patients affected by solid tumors, throughout their treatment path, from diagnosis to advanced disease. It offers a wide range of services ranging from outpatient visits, to MAC and Day Hospital treatments, up to hospitalization, when necessary.

The diagnosis, in the presence of the best diagnostic technologies available today with latest-generation equipment, the clinical assessment, the specific treatments (chemotherapies, hormonal therapies, biological therapies and with molecular-targeted drugs, immunotherapies) possibly integrated with other therapeutic approaches, and the ancillary and palliative treatments are addressed quickly and in the correct contexts, following national and international guidelines.

The facility offers large and functional spaces for examinations, visits and treatments; it therefore allows patients to carry out the necessary treatments in comfort and serenity. The medical and nursing staff - with long experience in the oncology field - includes personnel specialized in the indication, preparation, administration and monitoring of oncological treatments.

Attention to the person and their needs in a particularly difficult moment of life, always remains at the center of the oncology team's thoughts, which also has a psycho-oncology service for staff, patients and family members who may need it.

In the same direction, special attention is also paid to women who must undergo therapies that are certainly alopecising: in selected cases, a cooling helmet (Paxman Scalp Cooler) is made available which reduces the frequency of alopecia related to chemotherapy, allowing for an improvement in the quality of life.

Since 2000 we have been collaborating constantly with the National Cancer Institute of Milan (INT) in the care and co-management of patients affected mainly by breast cancer, gastrointestinal tract carcinomas, and adult soft tissue sarcomas (Rare Tumor Network).

• Since 2010 we have been oncology consultants at the Istituto Clinico Città Studi (ICCS).
• Since 2019 we have been oncology consultants for the Istituto Auxologico Italiano.
• Since 2019, the inter-company Breast Unit with MultiMedica has been active at Casa di Cura Igea

Description of Activities

Oncology Department

The Oncology Department of the Igea Nursing Home is located on the 2nd floor and consists of 6 rooms with 10 total beds (3 single-bed rooms).

Hospitalizations are reserved for the management of fragile patients due to comorbidities or who present complications or non-surgical oncological emergencies, for the execution of complex diagnostic procedures and oncological treatments, for the management of any adverse events resulting from therapies, and for palliative care.

UO DH Center (Day Hospital and MAC – Complex Outpatient Macroactivity

The DH Center Operating Unit of the Igea Nursing Home is located on the 4th floor and provides Day Hospital and MAC services.

The Day Hospital offers an organizational and operational model in a hospital setting, aimed at hospitalization for the provision of diagnostic and therapeutic services. It is characterized by hospitalizations or cycles of hospitalizations in a scheduled form, each lasting less than 12 hours, with the provision of multi-professional or multi-specialist services, which cannot be performed on an outpatient basis.

MAC services are provided on an outpatient basis using technical beds. MAC is in fact a flexible tool that allows us to respond to the multiple needs of the patient who comes to the Facility. The services that can be provided can be summarised and grouped according to the following indications:

• patients undergoing oncological treatment (MAC 01-02-04)
• patients requiring supportive care (MAC 05)
• patients requiring infusion therapies (MAC 09-10)
• patients requiring diagnostic maneuvers or complex procedures

(MAC 11-12)

Day Hospital and MAC guarantee continuity of care and reduction of complications related to prolonged hospitalization, provide the patient with appropriate treatments avoiding unnecessary overnight hospitalizations, facilitate care pathways by pre-defining preferential lanes for the management of acute/chronic exacerbated pathology, respond to the health and care needs of patients who do not meet the criteria for hospitalization but who still require a hospital setting where they can receive complex diagnoses and treatments.

Oncology Clinic

The Oncology Clinic of the Igea Nursing Home is located on the 4th floor and is dedicated to taking charge of new patients (first visits) and to the follow-up of all patients who have received a diagnosis of cancer and/or have undergone anti-tumor treatments.

Pathologies Treated

Specifically, the Oncology Operating Unit of the Igea Nursing Home is dedicated to the diagnostic, clinical and therapeutic assessment of adult oncology patients affected by solid tumors, and in particular:

• Breast cancer;
• Neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract (stomach, pancreas, biliary tract, colon and rectum);
• Lung neoplasms (non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, pleural mesothelioma);
• Neoplasms of the genitourinary system (bladder, kidney, prostate and testicle);
• Gynecological neoplasms (ovary, endometrium);
• Rare tumors (soft tissue sarcomas).

Therapies Administered

In the Oncology Operating Unit of the Igea Nursing Home, specific antitumor treatments are provided in all stages of the disease, both in the early and preventive phase and in the advanced phase. These treatments, which include chemotherapy, hormonal therapies, biological therapies and therapies with molecular target drugs, and immunotherapies, are integrated as necessary with other therapeutic approaches (surgery, radiotherapy, locoregional therapies), also in collaboration with other hospital facilities.

Ancillary and palliative care (including pain therapy) is also administered as needed.

Staff of the Oncology Operating Unit

The Oncology Operating Unit of the Casa di Cura Igea is directed by Dr. Antonio Ghidini, a medical oncologist, supported by oncology specialists, professional nurses and a dedicated secretariat. The team also includes a pharmacist, a nutritionist, a geneticist and a psycho-oncologist to support the staff, patients and their families.

 

Technical Manager: Antonio Ghidini

Medical directors: Roberta Bukovec – Luisa Roncari

Nursing Coordinator: Ambrogio Fornabaio

Professional nurses: Daniela Ferrari – Chiara Cerioli – Raffaella Savorana – Lucy Vas

Secretary: Stefania Viadana

Pharmacist: Patricia Pirotta

Psycho-oncologists: Maurizio Fischbein – Simona Gatta

Geneticist: Pierangela Castorina

Nutritionist: Monica Fanoli

For information and appointments contact:
Secretariat Telephone: 02/70142.498
E-mail: oncologia@casadicuraigea.it