16.09.16

In the middle from left the Latvian doctors Armands Sivins oand Iveta Kudaba - surrounded by their Danish hosts: Professor Henning Grønbæk and consultant Jens Kelsen (photo: Michael Harder, Aarhus University Hospital). 

The topic for the visit from the two Latvian doctors is the treatment of neuroendocrine tumours.

Iveta Kudaba and Armands Sivins from the Latvian Oncology Center in Riga are visiting Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology at Aarhus University Hospital. The purpose of the visit is to learn more about the highly specialised treatment of neuroendocrine tumours at the department.

Neuroendocrine tumours are rare cancer tumours usually in the gastrointestinal tract. At Aarhus University Hospital patients with neuroendocrine tumours are treated surgically, medically and with radiation therapy. A special type of radiation therapy can be offered injecting a radioactive substance into the body, where the substance locates tumour cells and destroys them.

The Latvian Oncology Center is starting to treat patients with endocrine tumours but more knowledge is needed.

- We would like to learn how to organise and plan the treatment of these patients, says professor Armands Sivins, Head of Onco-surgery Department at Latvian Oncology Center.

He is supported by his colleague professor Iveta Kudaba, Head of Chemotherapy Department at Latvian Oncology Center.

- The treatment is complex and demands involvement of a team with different staff groups and we would like to know how you work with this in Aarhus, says Iveta Kudaba.

- In Latvia, more and more patients are diagnosed with endocrine tumours and the number of treatments is going up. But we do not have the overall picture of how these patients are doing.

Aarhus University Hospital is a Center of Excellence in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumours. This means that the hospital offers expert therapies within all areas of this disease: Surgery, radiation therapy and medical treatment.