Prof. Dr. Joachim Volz

As head physician of the Centre for Gynaecology at the Evangelical Hospital Lippstadt, Prof. Dr med. Joachim Volz has a broad range of expertise in the field of women's health: Besides being a specialist in gynaecology and obstetrics and holding certificates in gynaecological oncology and minimally invasive surgery, the experienced physician is also an expert in prenatal medicine and obstetrics as well as endocrinology and reproductive medicine. As head of the certified Senora Breast Centre at the Lippstadt site, Prof. Volz is a proven specialist in surgical breast cancer therapy. His extensive range of services includes intraoperative electron radiotherapy (IOERT). This innovative procedure for effective yet mild irradiation of the breast is currently used in only a few centres in Germany.

For the Senora Breast Centre at the Evangelical Hospital Lippstadt, the impressive qualifications and longstanding experience of the head physician are a real stroke of luck: Under the direction of Prof. Dr med. Joachim Volz, the certified centre offers patients the entire spectrum of modern diagnostics and therapy for breast diseases. Together with his multidisciplinary team, the physician follows the internationally recognised recommendations. But he also regards it as important to consider new and innovative therapy options and developments – so as to offer his patients the best possible individual therapy at all times. Utilising his expertise, tremendous commitment and willingness to innovate, the physician has continuously expanded the important department of the Evangelical Hospital in Lippstadt – one of the largest acute hospitals in the region – having established it as a breast centre with a supra-regional catchment area.

From diagnostics to aftercare: full care with a heart

Prof. Volz attaches particular importance to close and interdisciplinary cooperation with his colleagues in order to guarantee complete and consistent care for his patients – from diagnostics to follow-up treatment. The team of the Senora Breast Centre is made up of specialists from a wide range of disciplines – in addition to gynaecologists, these include radiologists, pathologists, oncologists, psycho-oncologists and plastic surgeons. Besides this, specially trained Breast Care Nurses look after the needs and concerns of the patients at the Evangelical Hospital Lippstadt. The Breast Care Nurses are available to the women at all times before, during and after the therapy as trustworthy contact persons. They also advise and support the women in how to deal with the disease in everyday life.

The interdisciplinary team of the Breast Centre meets in weekly tumour conferences and jointly determines the parameters for the optimal course of treatment for each patient. This ensures that, based on the relevant findings, individually optimal therapy is provided – the patient and her relatives receiving the best possible care and support at all times.

Effective and gentle breast cancer therapy: minimally invasive surgery and intraoperative radiotherapy

At the Senora Breast Centre in Lippstadt, under the direction of Prof. Volz, almost 200 women with an initial diagnosis of breast cancer are treated every year. Thanks to early and modern diagnostics, the majority of them can be operated on in a breast-conserving manner. This means that the tumour is removed precisely and completely, while the surrounding healthy breast tissue is preserved.

A special focus at the Evangelical Hospital Lippstadt involves the use of intraoperative electron radiotherapy (IOERT). Studies and current therapy guidelines confirm how highly effective this innovative procedure actually is – though it is only offered in a few centres in Germany at present. IOERT is used immediately after the surgical removal of the tumour – still during the operation, under anaesthesia the tumour bed is precisely irradiated with the help of a mobile linear accelerator. The irradiation itself takes only a few seconds. In this way, surrounding tissue and organs are spared. In addition, the procedure can fully or partially replace irradiation of the entire breast usually lasting six weeks after the operation – thereby reducing the mental stress associated with such treatment. Intraoperative irradiation also leads to fewer cosmetic late effects, such as skin changes on the breast.

Interdisciplinary approach: Focus on the patient

Besides surgery and radiation, drug therapy plays a central role in breast cancer treatment. A great advantage for the patients of the Senora Breast Centre in Lippstadt is the close cooperation with the oncological specialist practice at the Evangelical Hospital and thus the possibility to provide outpatient therapies. With due consideration of current international recommendations, modern chemo and antibody therapies are used in the practice, among other options. Thanks to the close cooperation of the various teams “under one roof” and the weekly tumour conferences, patients receive rapid and targeted treatment. Another advantage of the close cooperation is that patients usually have the same contact person throughout the entire treatment.

Comprehensive information and counselling services

Another plus point offered by Breast Centre at the EVK Lippstadt: its patient information café, organised monthly for patients, relatives and interested parties – provided the corona pandemic allows it again. As part of the café, an information forum is held every quarter in which recognised experts give lectures on the topic of breast diseases.

The topic of breast cancer screening also plays an important role. In training sessions, which are now also conducted online by a certified trainer, interested women learn how to examine themselves thoroughly and regularly – and how to systematically feel the surface and depth of the breast.

The Senora Breast Centre at the Evangelical Hospital in Lippstadt, under the leadership of Prof. Volz, offers the entire spectrum for the best possible care of breast cancer patients – modern cutting-edge medicine, innovative technology and, above all, human care.