She is the Medical Director of the Asklepios Klinik St. Georg in Hamburg – and Head of the Department of General and Visceral Surgery there: Prof. Dr Carolin Tonus, a qualified specialist in surgery, visceral surgery, specialized visceral surgery and proctology, is a prime example of modern high-performance medicine. However, she is best known for having established the Asklepios Group’s German Sarcoma Center. Prof. Tonus possesses outstanding expertise particularly in the field of sarcomas, these relatively rare soft-tissue tumors that usually originate in connective tissue, bone or muscle. The Leading Medicine Guide spoke with this exceptional physician.
The renowned surgeon Professor Dr Carolin Tonus makes a lasting impression – in many ways. In conversation, she comes across as a warm, approachable woman who knew as early as the age of five what she wanted to be: a doctor. One of the main reasons for this early career aspiration: she loves interacting with people. Even though there were no professional role models in her family in this field, she fulfilled her childhood dream and studied medicine.
No wonder, then, that even today she is committed to always combining technically demanding medicine with humanity and care. “I really enjoy my work,” she says. As a specialist in complex abdominal surgery, she relishes the technical challenge: “In bowel surgery in particular, it’s all about mastering fine sutures and sophisticated suturing techniques.” At the same time, the mind is challenged when it comes to cancer, when individually tailored therapies need to be developed in oncology. “For me, true, deep satisfaction comes from contact with patients,” reveals Prof. Tonus. “A patient’s smile – that is priceless to me.”
A clear motto: “Always a personal relationship”
It is very important to her that cancer patients at her hospital have a main point of contact throughout their treatment. “Building a relationship, having time for people who are in an exceptional situation in their lives – that is so extremely important,” she believes. “I always take plenty of time for the initial consultation. And I then tell my patients: I’m here for you, I’ll support you through this illness, I’ll look after you.”
Being compassionate and empathetic as a doctor, treating people with humanity – for Prof. Tonus, this brings a sense of inner fulfillment. At the same time, she is aware of the difficult balancing act: “I am an emotional person, and I want to stay that way; I can only be compassionate if I maintain my inner balance and have my own equilibrium.”
Football provides a balance to her demanding profession
The beautiful location of the Asklepios Klinik St. Georg, which she has headed as Medical Director since 2021, near the Outer Alster in Hamburg, offers moments of calm in the daily hospital routine with its view of the water. And her enthusiasm for football, which she shares with her now adult son, provides a balance. The enjoyment of sport, working in the field of surgery – which even today remains a predominantly male-dominated discipline – all of this fits together perfectly for the specialist, who likes to dress in a feminine style: “I am not a product of gender norms, and I have not faced any professional disadvantages as a woman.” She also believes that the feminine touch in medicine is particularly beneficial for patients. And that is why she emphasises it and lives by it.
Establishment of the Central Sarcoma Center in Hamburg
Her perseverance, her work ethic, her energy and, not least, her team spirit have steadily taken her to the top. Her career has taken her to Offenbach Hospital, the BG Accident Clinic in Frankfurt, Herz-Jesu Hospital in Fulda and, finally, the Asklepios Clinic North and St. Georg in Hamburg, where she is now Medical Director. After qualifying as a specialist in surgery, she completed further training in visceral surgery, specialized visceral surgery and proctology, but general and visceral surgery has remained her speciality. In 2010, she was awarded an honorary professorship, and in 2017 she established the clinic group’s central sarcoma center at the Asklepios St. Georg Clinic.
“Here in Hamburg, we focus on sarcomas of the abdomen and the extremities. Asklepios has centralised the treatment of these rare soft tissue tumors across Germany here at the St. Georg Clinic,” explains Prof. Tonus. She is supported by an interdisciplinary team of experts from the fields of radiology, pathology, nuclear medicine, anesthesia, oncology and radiotherapy, as well as various surgical disciplines. In 2022, a highly specialized technique was added that is still rare in Germany: intraoperative radiotherapy, also known as IORT.
Innovation: The IORT procedure in sarcoma therapy
Prof. Tonus explains the procedure, which she herself has been researching for years: “We administer this radiation while the operation is still in progress, i.e. while the surgical site is still open. To do this, a device shaped like a ball mat is placed in the tumor bed. This allows us to irradiate the exact spot where the tumor was located and treat microscopic remnants that could not be removed.” The advantage of this procedure lies in sparing surrounding organs and body parts and targeting only the immediate tumor environment with millimeter precision. “It is an add-on to a necessary operation. But the beauty of this technique is that we can spare sensitive areas such as the small intestine or the ureter and keep unwanted side effects to a minimum,” says Prof. Tonus, describing the new radiotherapy. After the treatment, which lasts around 30 to 45 minutes, the surgical site is closed. “Unfortunately, sarcomas have a tendency to regrow even after successful removal; we can now prevent this more effectively with IORT.”
President of the Asklepios Cancer Congress
Prof. Tonus is delighted with the opportunities the Asklepios hospital group offers her in terms of her career and professional development. “I can flourish here; I have so many opportunities; I am satisfied,” she says. At the Asklepios Medical School, having completed her external habilitation in Frankfurt, she takes great pleasure in passing on her knowledge. As President of the Asklepios Cancer Congress in Hamburg, she will bring together doctors, nurses, psycho(onco)logists and students in 2023 for professional exchange and further training. She loves engaging in collegial exchange and acquiring new knowledge. Yet despite the demanding nature of her work, people remain at the heart of what she does: “I practice personalized medicine!” emphasises Prof. Carolin Tonus.
Prof. Tonus, we would like to thank you very much for the informative and personal conversation!
You can get in touch with our specialist directly via her profile page on the Leading Medicine Guide.
