Treatments and medical management

The Centre Antoine-Lacassagne is structured for the adult treatment management. The Medical Oncology Department (chemotherapy) can treat all cancer types.

The surgical activity focuses on breast, gynecology, ENT and head and neck cancers. For other organs, there is a coordination between our center and the teaching hospital teams to comply with the joint medical oncology project.

As a public radiotherapy service, the center can treat all tumour sites in adults and children.

Today, the main cancer therapeutics are : radiotherapy (conventional radiotherapy, brachytherapy, protontherapy, contact radiotherapy), surgery and medical cancer treatment (chemotherapy, targeted treatments, immunotherapy, hormonotherapy).

In most cases, these treatments will be performed either simultaneously or concomitantly. This strategy has been worked out by a pluridisciplinary team and will be explained in your personalized treatment program.

In oncology, medical research keeps evolving. During your treatment, you may be offered the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial.

The medical management

The medical management is carried out under the responsibility of your referring doctor, i.e. your oncologist.
According to the type of cancer, you will be directed to a specialist whose skills are most appropriate.

Specialists and treatment decision

On the one hand, the decision is guaranteed by the specialist. On the other hand, the pluridisciplinary aspect of the practices is the cornerstone of this treatment decision.
These meetings lead to management recommendations. The patient will be informed of the latter by the physician at the "consultation d'annonce".

Medical practice  referentials

The appropriate application of the medical practice referentials in the pluridiciplinary meeting  is regularly evaluated throughout the Oncopaca cancer network. It is also assessed by the National surveys carried out by the French National Cancer Institute (INCa), the French National Federation of cancer centers (FNCLCC), and the Public Health Authorities (HAS).

Reliable, understandable and comprehensive information

One of the main points of the good quality of the medical treatment lies in the most comprehensive and understandable information given to the patient, both on his disease and on the treatment related risks.

The patient's participation in his treatment

An informed consent is requested at any step of the management, before any treatment or surgical procedure yielding possible risks.

Quality case discussions

Any complications observed in the management are systematically analyzed by the physicians during the meetings organized in each department. These meetings called "quality case discussions" include the mortality/morbidity reviews and are part of the National Cancer 2 Plan recommendations.

Cancer treatments