Our recipe for success is no secret – quite the opposite. Ever since our clinic was established, we have adhered to the basic principle of optimising outcome quality and remain firmly convinced that this overarching goal should guide the actions of every medical facility.
Prof. Dr. Hartwig Huland
Founder of the Martini-Klinik
Three special features, one network
Deep specialisation in a single disease
The Martini-Klinik is one of very few clinics to have specialised in the diagnosis and treatment of a single disease. We have deepened this specialisation over the years, as every consultant at our clinic has developed a further specialisation within the field of prostate cancer. Combined with the high numbers of patients treated, this has enabled us to acquire a wealth of experience, knowledge and skill. The Martini-Klinik covers all areas of modern prostate cancer diagnostics and treatment, including complete surgical removal, focal treatment, radiotherapy and drug therapies, as well as advice on complementary medicine and psycho-oncological support.
A faculty system rather than a single senior consultant
In our faculty system, ten senior consultants share responsibility for our patients. Each of these experts pursues their vocation at the Martini-Klinik and has specialised in specific areas within prostate cancer as a discipline. Our team brings together internationally renowned experts in various branches of this discipline. When it comes to surgery, we talk about “high-volume” surgeons because each of our surgeons perform so many surgeries (up to 300 per year) – and this experience delivers treatment outcomes that are verifiably outstanding. In addition, each patient has only one contact – “their” doctor – for the duration of their stay.
Monitoring treatment outcomes
When a patient leaves a hospital, follow-up care is usually provided by their usual doctor. This means that surgeons and hospital-based doctors often have no idea of the results their treatments achieve. In this respect, the Martini-Klinik is an exception. It is one of the few clinics in Germany with a data documentation system that records and pseudonymises (i.e. anonymises) the quality of life reported by all patients treated to date – who now number more than 40,000 – for the benefit of future consultations and research.
Our senior consultants also use the data we collect to conduct quality control checks. In general, consultants who perform surgeries do not find out what happens to their patients through the years, as their aftercare and recovery is overseen by their usual doctor. Here at the Martini-Klinik, we use this data to monitor and compare treatment outcomes in terms of our patients’ potency and continence. This means we can intervene to correct even minor abnormalities. The same surgeon oversees the follow-up procedures to ensure that every last detail is perfected. This exacting but highly effective approach, which aims to maximise patients’ wellbeing, is not standard practice anywhere else around the world.
A university-based network of excellence
Last but not least, the Martini-Klinik is not a stand-alone private clinic in the middle of the countryside. Our building is at the heart of the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) campus. Input from experts in various disciplines at UKE benefits our patients at the Martini-Klinik. This is thanks to excellent collaboration with colleagues in all other disciplines in our joint prostate cancer centre.
And these are the results...
Special surgical techniques at the Martini-Klinik
Removing the prostate while preserving the patient’s continence and potency is the aim of every radical prostatectomy. This difficulty is inherent to the operation because the urethra runs through the prostate and the delicate neurovascular structures surrounding the organ must be spared to preserve the patient’s continence and erectile function. We strive to preserve the nerve bundle using frozen section analysis – our Pathology department examines the prostate immediately after the organ’s removal, while the surgery is still ongoing. The full length of the urethral sphincter is also spared and retained. In most cases, this approach preserves patients’ continence and potency at same level as before the operation.
Excellent consultancy skills
We use the data on the long-term outcomes achieved for past patients – who now number over 34,000 – to advise patients choosing a treatment strategy regarding the chances of a cure and preserving their continence and potency. We are proud to say that very few clinics around the world have such well-founded quality control systems based on outcome data.
Science-based expertise
Research is the key to optimising the diagnosis and treatment of tumour diseases. The doctors and researchers at the Martini-Klinik have achieved outstanding results through years of intensive research into prostate carcinoma.
Taking time to care for you is not a luxury...
... we do this as a matter of course. You are our focus – from the moment you first contact us to the time you leave.