Asst Lect. Dr Martin Huertgen

Asst Lect. Dr Martin Huertgen has been the Senior Consultant of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the Catholic Hospital in Coblenz since 2002. As a specialist in general surgery and thoracic surgery, he looks back over 30 years of experience in surgery; he has worked in a leading capacity for around 25 years. Thanks to his contribution to the research of new techniques and his membership of the major national and international associations in his field, he has an outstanding reputation the world over.

Dr Huertgen and his team at the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the Catholic Hospital in Coblenz specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions of the thorax and the lungs. These include, for example, tumours in the lungs and on the chest wall, fluid build-up in the pleural cavity, inflammation and collapsed lung. A variety of state-of-the-art surgical techniques are utilised. For this, the most up-to-date technical equipment is available to the specialists. Minimally invasive techniques are particularly promising; using these, the complete opening of the rib cage can be avoided,. This procedure is performed within the context of a so-called thoracoscopy, via small access incisions between the ribs.

One important focus of the Department of Thoracic Surgery under the leadership of Dr Huertgen is the treatment of lung cancer. The hospital’s Interdisciplinary Lung Cancer Centre, certified by the German Cancer Association, brings a variety of fields together in order to provide the affected patients with the best and most promising treatment possible. Outstanding medical practitioners in fields such as oncology, pneumonology, thoracic surgery and radiology discuss each individual case during the weekly tumour conference and determine an individual approach. Since the focus here is not on the condition but on the individual, the patient’s family and social situation are also a part of the strategic evaluation. The specialists are always receptive to personal discussion with and questions from those affected.

One important pillar of the interdisciplinary Lung Cancer Centre is participation in medical trials. Here, various patient groups are able to benefit from innovative treatments and medications, if they would like to do, and thus improve their chances of healing. At the same time, the trials contribute to the establishment of these approaches and thus help to advance cancer therapy overall. Dr Huertgen is himself active in research and presents pioneering new insights within the framework of a large number of publications.