Jihlava Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Centre – KOC

1. Diagnostic section (where they find out what is going on)

A KOC must have, under one roof or within immediate reach, cutting-edge technologies that detect cancer and describe it precisely:

Radiology: CT (computed tomography), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), modern ultrasound and X-ray equipment.

Nuclear medicine: especially PET/CT, which is the most accurate method for detecting lesions throughout the body.

Pathology and genetics: laboratories that examine tissue samples and look for specific genetic mutations of the tumour, so that it is known which drug it will respond to.

2. Treatment section (where the actual fight takes place)

Clinical oncology: this is where chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and above all biological and immunological therapy are administered (which the patient cannot receive anywhere other than at a KOC).

Radiation oncology (radiotherapy): treatment rooms with linear accelerators.

Surgical oncology: specialised operating theatres where surgeons perform demanding procedures (often using robots).

Haemato-oncology: if the centre also treats cancers of the blood and lymphatic system.

3. Supportive care (so that body and mind can cope)

Palliative medicine and pain management: so that the patient does not suffer.

Nutrition clinic: nutrition specialists, because in oncology food is the basis of strength for treatment.

Psycho-oncology: psychologists specialising specifically in cancer patients and their families.

Rehabilitation: help with returning to everyday life after surgery or treatment.

4. Organisational and scientific section (the brain of the centre)

Multidisciplinary teams (MDT): regular meetings of doctors from all the above-mentioned specialties, where the plan for each patient is fine-tuned.

Clinical trials centre: the opportunity to involve the patient in testing the latest drugs from around the world.

Satellite sites: smaller outpatient clinics in surrounding towns often also come under the KOC; patients attend them for routine check-ups so that they do not have to travel far every time.

A real-life example

When a patient goes to a KOC, it does not mean they are treated only by the “Oncology Department”. It means that, under the KOC umbrella, a surgeon from the surgical department, a radiologist from the radiology department and a nurse from the oncology day unit work together. All of them are part of one certified treatment machine.