Professor Ullrich Graeven

Kliniken Maria Hilf in Mönchengladbach is a long-established hospital which always provides a full care package and is an important point of contact for anyone looking for the highest standard of medical care. Professor Ullrich Graeven, who is an experienced consultant with an international reputation, ensures that this standard of medical care is upheld in the fields of haematology, oncology and gastroenterology. The multi-talented expert has primarily made a name for himself as the Director of the Oncology Centre at the hospital.

Professor Ullrich Graeven is not only an outstanding expert in all matters relating to the blood, cancer and the gastrointestinal tract, but also has an excellent network. Even just thanks to his role on the board of the German Cancer Society, he has an outstanding network of contacts and is therefore always up to date when it comes to international developments in treatment and research.

This knowledge is essential because his areas of specialism are constantly moving forwards. His specialism relating to conditions of the blood and cancer in particular is undergoing huge development on a scale which is quite rare in the medical world. And the expert needs a good network to ensure that he keeps up with all the new developments and that he gives his patients the opportunity to benefit from the findings of global research laboratories. And, as a member of numerous professional associations, Professor Graeven always has access to current research results and studies.

Specialty in the field of haematology: An expert in blood

An important focal point of Professor Graeven’s range of services is haematology, i.e. the diagnosis and treatment of all conditions of the blood, the hematopoietic organs and the lymphatic system. This includes all the different types of leukaemia, lymphoma and solid tumours. Even in terms of diagnostics, it is clear that the Clinic for Haematology, Oncology and Gastroenterology boasts outstanding equipment: the full range of modern investigative techniques is on offer here, including cytological bone marrow diagnostics with special staining. This primarily enables malign diseases to be identified quickly and treated in a targeted manner, for example acute leukaemia.

Professor Graeven and his team use a wide range of treatment methods. For example, they often use high-dose chemotherapy with special hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The chief physician also has a great deal of experience with bone marrow puncture.

When it comes to tumours of the gastrointestinal tract and lungs, Professor Ullrich Graeven and his team also have thorough knowledge of all oncological treatment processes. The procedures that are on offer in such cases also include high-dose treatment with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, which only a few specialists are able to offer: in this newly-developed special chemotherapy treatment method, targeted high-dose chemotherapy, Professor Graeven works with hematopoietic stem cells from your own bloodstream, which is why the procedure is also known as “autologous peripheral stem cell transplantation”. In this regard, the essential hematopoietic stem cells are removed, whilst treatment with the chemotherapeutic agent, the dose of which is elevated by three to five times, takes place. This complex treatment offers a huge benefit for patients: even more resistant cancer cells are killed by the more intensive treatment process. The bone marrow, on the other hand, is preserved because the healthy stem cells are integrated again.

Chemotherapy with a newly-developed method

Individually tailored chemotherapy that is suitable for the patient’s individual case is also part of Professor Graeven’s specialist field, as is the high-dosage version. In general, chemotherapy is known as the third pillar in treating cancer. The first pillar is treatment with radiotherapy and the chief physician and his team work closely together with the hospital’s Clinic for Radiation Therapy on this, which, thanks to its Medical Care Centre for Radiotherapy, is a national centre for radiation therapy and radiation oncology. Surgical intervention is the second pillar and Professor Graeven performs surgery at the Oncology Centre he directs. The chemotherapy options which are used in Mönchengladbach as the third pillar, specifically for the treatment of systemic conditions like leukaemia, are known to be very effective. Since research is currently being carried out in this field all over the world and, in addition to intravenous options, the tablet form is now increasingly also used, patients here benefit from the expert’s international network.

Professor Graeven often combines multiple forms of treatment. In this regard, it can be advisable to combine chemotherapy or even radiation therapy with a modern form of immunotherapy or with stem cell transplantation. The team of doctors working with chief physician Professor Ullrich Graeven carries out all haemato-oncological treatment procedures in close cooperation with university centres, whereby national and international studies always form the framework for the treatment decisions.

Certified and renowned: Oncology Centre

The treatment of tumours has always been a very important focal point at Kliniken Maria Hilf in Mönchengladbach. This can be demonstrated by the Oncology Centre, which is a renowned organisation that has dedicated itself to providing medical care to tumour patients throughout the region. This centre is devoted to all aspects of cancer treatment: this starts with prevention, early detection and diagnosis and does not finish at the individual treatment stage because, for Professor Graeven and his team of doctors, follow-up care and rehabilitation are also focal points of their everyday work at the hospital. The modern medical care concept, thanks to which not even the tiniest of details is left down to chance and interdisciplinary cooperation is a key element, makes the Oncology Centre a truly special organisation in the Lower Rhine area. It is no coincidence that all of the departments in the hospital group are managed by renowned experts, which is why the interdisciplinary medical care concept is always based on the latest scientific findings.

This ensures that all patients at the Oncology Centre receive a comprehensive treatment plan that ensures the best possible treatment results for them thanks to coordinated cooperation between all the relevant specialisms. This support, which is also of benefit to relatives, includes psycho-oncological and social support, psychotherapy services and naturally also dietary advice in accordance with the latest considerations. The team also provides contact details for self-help organisations.

High level of empathy: A care package that goes beyond just meeting the medical requirements

In cooperation with the Clinic for Haematology, Oncology and Gastroenterology, the Oncology Centre offers another area of specialism in which Professor Ullrich Graeven’s high level of empathy is vital: in palliative care, all efforts are made to ensure that the most seriously ill patients with untreatable conditions maintain their quality of life for as long as possible. This is often achieved with pain relief and psychological support for everyone who is involved is also part of the concept.

The high quality standards for which the Oncology Centre is known have also been confirmed for the hospital: the Centre has been certified at the highest level, namely, by the certification authority of the German Cancer Society. Professor Graeven is also the spokesperson for the Society. After an intensive review, it was confirmed that patients in Mönchengladbach are receiving treatment in accordance with structured treatment processes which meet the high standards of the professional societies and the latest medical knowledge. The experts from the German Cancer Society were also confident in the organisation’s long-term abilities because all cases are discussed at interdisciplinary tumour conferences in order to identify the best possible treatment plan for the patient. And the Oncology Centre is also doing excellent work in terms of further education, which is another field in which chief physician Professor Graeven stands out thanks to his higher education qualification for haematology and internistic oncology.

Progress using endoscopic methods: Field of gastroenterology

The fact that Professor Ullrich Graeven also has a high level of expertise in endoscopy is demonstrated by the outstanding facilities: in the field of gastroenterology, the hospital owns gastroscopes, which allow endoscopic gastroscopies to be carried out, as well as colonoscopes for carrying out rectoscopies and coloscopies and many more devices which enable the duodenum, trachea or bile tracts to be investigated and therefore a direct view into the various cavities of the digestive system to be obtained.

Professor Graeven and his team are, of course, often able to treat conditions straight away using interventional endoscopy. This allows bleeding from ulcers to be stopped, stones to be removed from the pancreas and bile duct and tumour-related narrowing to be treated. It is also important that polyps in the colon and rectum can be removed by means of endoscopy. These procedures enable people to return to their active lives with a much shorter hospital stay and much less stress than with typical treatment options.

Area of expertise: Stomach, intestines, oesophagus

As an expert in gastroenterology, Professor Graeven is primarily engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions of the oesophagus and gastrointestinal system. His expertise in oncology plays a significant role here too because the detection of tumours in the digestive system is one of his main roles here. However, the liver, bile tracts and pancreas are also part of his field of expertise. This includes infections and metabolic disorders, conditions of the glands and alcohol-related liver damage.

The hospital team in Mönchengladbach is also very adept at carrying out functional investigations of the gastrointestinal system. With investigations ranging from pressure measurement or acid measurement in the oesophagus to breath tests to prove lactase deficiency and investigations into the causes of chronic diarrhoea, patients who choose the Clinic for Haematology, Oncology and Gastroenterology at Kliniken Maria Hilf can be confident that they will receive comprehensive advice and that the right treatment plan for them will be developed thanks to interdisciplinary cooperation. The chief physician, Professor Ullrich Graeven, has primary responsibility for ensuring this.