Medical Oncology at HCB is a comprehensive Oncology: the patient is accompanied from the initial diagnosis to the end of the disease, both in the follow-up stage and in the palliative care phase.

Relations with other institutions and research

The Medical Oncology Service has its own multidisciplinary Tumour Committee, where all cases diagnosed with cancer in HCB are individually discussed.

HCB Benidorm is part of the European network ESMO Designated Center of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care. In addition, the HCB Medical Oncology Service is a part of working groups such as:

• Spanish Breast Cancer Research Group (GEICAM)
• Spanish Group for the Treatment of Digestive Tumours (TTD)
• Spanish Lung Cancer Group (GECP)
• Spanish Genitourinary Tumour Treatment Group (SOGUG)

HCB Oncology Medical Treatments 

Initial stages

• Neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatments with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted therapies.
• Treatments with concomitant Chemo-Radiotherapy.

Advanced stages

The treatments in these cases are programmed individually after studies of the molecular alterations of the tumour cells of each patient.

• Chemotherapy
• Hormone therapy
• Immunotherapy
• Targeted therapy against molecular targets

Day Hospital and Hospitalization

Day Hospital. Has 10 boxes with armchairs and double infusers for the administration of antineoplastic chemotherapy and immunotherapy on an outpatient basis.

Clinical hospitalization. Has 10 rooms for handling acute situations, complications, complex treatments or continuous care. Hospitalization is prolonged with home care, organised by the Home Hospitalization Unit of the Hospital de la Marina Baixa.

The Radiotherapy Oncology Service of HCB Benidorm provides the ITIC with high quality standards in radiotherapy-based cancer treatments.

Radiotherapy is the treatment of cancer or other processes, using ionizing radiation: capable of producing “ionization”, molecular changes that affect the cellular structure. In the case of tumour cells, these changes are capable of producing their death and therefore the disappearance of the tumour.

There are many forms of radiation available depending on the nature of the rays: it will be photon radiation when electromagnetic radiation is used; and it will be particulate radiation when using particles, electrons, neutrons, protons, etc.

Also depending on the area that the radioactive source occupies with respect to the tissue to be irradiated: teletherapy, when the source is far away -one meter- or outside the body; or Brachytherapy, when the source is lodged in anatomical cavities or tissues, both temporarily and permanently in certain cases, such as definitive treatments for some prostate cancers.

HCB Radiotherapy Oncology Treatments 

The technological support of the Radiotherapy Area of ​​the ITIC allows the development of all types of conventional radiotherapy treatments, including total body irradiation or total skin irradiation with electrons. In addition, it is specially designed for performing “highly complex radiotherapy” techniques such as:

• Three-Dimensional Multi conform Radiotherapy
• Radiosurgery
• Fractionated Stereotactic Radiotherapy
• Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT)
• Endocavitary and Interstitial Brachytherapy
• Intraoperative brachytherapy
• Prostatic brachytherapy with temporary implants with Ir-192
• Permanent implants in prostate cancer, with I-125 seeds
• Children’s tumour radiotherapy

 HCB Radiotherapy Oncology Technology

• Acelerador Lineal VersaHD de Elekta.
• BrainLab system, for radiosurgery and stereotaxic radiotherapy, equipped with a micro multilayer to form all types of fields up to 10×10 cm.
• High dose rate brachytherapy system with Ir-192, Nucletron Microselectron.
• Brachytherapy system for permanent prostate implants, with real-time dosimetry, automated I-125 seed release, First-Spot-pro system, Nucletron SeedSelectron.
• High-level planners, linked to CT, MRI and PET-CT, capable of developing, from a virtual simulation, three-dimensional, multi-conform, stereotaxic and radiation treatments with intensity modulation by inverse calculation.

The Nuclear Medicine Service of HCB Benidorm is an example of the modernization of ITIC HCB. This area has important technological resources, which few hospitals have due to its complexity.

• SPECT-TAC (Gamma camera Infinia Hawkeye GE)
• PET-CT Ingenuity TF with 64-slice CT
• Densitometer (Lunar DPX Pro GE)

HCB Nuclear Medicine Treatments

This specialized technology allows advanced diagnoses, completion of extension studies, monitoring response to treatment, performing sentinel node studies, study of bone lesions, pulmonary thrombosis…

The Nuclear Medicine Area programs diagnostic techniques that currently represent one of the greatest advances in the diagnosis of certain types of tumours such as lymphomas.

In recent years, the Service has been a pioneer in the application of specific radiopharmaceuticals for the early detection of Alzheimer’s, for the detection and palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer, and is currently successfully applying the following radiopharmaceuticals:

• PET with Galio68-DOTATOC. HCB is the only centre in the province that performs this diagnostic technique. It is indicated for imaging adult patients with confirmed or suspected well-differentiated gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (GEP-NETs) for localization of primary tumours and their metastases.

• PET with F18-DOPA. It is used in Neurology to differentiate essential tremor from Parkinsonian syndromes related to neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy).
• It is applied in Oncology for the diagnosis and localization of an insulinoma in case of hyperinsulinism in infants and children; for the diagnosis and localization of glomus tumours; localization and staging of well-differentiated pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas and carcinoid tumours of the intestinal tract; diagnosis of primary brain tumours limited to high-grade gliomas (grade III and IV).

• PET with F18-PSMA. PET-CT indicated for cases of suspected recurrence of prostate cancer based on the increase in PSA after radical prostatectomy or after treatment with radiotherapy.

The HCB Surgical Oncology Service is integrated into the ITIC as an essential part of this multidisciplinary team.

At HCB, all patients diagnosed with malignant tumours are discussed weekly by a committee of experts, the tumour Committee, made up of specialists in Digestive Surgery, Oncology, Radiotherapy, Nuclear Medicine, Radiology and Pathological Anatomy. In this committee, binding decisions are made for the treatment and individualized follow-up of each patient.

The HCB Digestive Surgery Service has extensive experience in the surgical treatment of malignant pathology of all digestive tumours, as well as breast and thyroid tumours. We have surgeons with special dedication to cancer surgery and advanced laparoscopy.

The operating rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art laparoscopy towers that include immunofluorescence technology with ICG (Indocyanine Green), very useful in detecting tumours and their margins, as well as to assess the correct blood supply of the tissues, among other applications. 

The vast majority of surgical procedures we perform are minimally invasive surgery (Laparoscopy and Thoracoscopy). Currently the oncological procedures that the Surgery Service is performing are:

• Cancer of the oesophagus and stomach, esophagectomies and gastrectomy by laparoscopy and thoracoscopy.
• Colorectal cancer by laparoscopy.
• Hepatobiliopancreatic surgery, hepatic and pancreatic resections by laparoscopic and open surgery.
• Laparoscopic adrenalectomies for both metastases and primary tumours such as malignant pheochromocytomas.
• Breast Surgery with both conservative and radical sentinel lymph node, with and without immediate reconstructions.
• Thyroid surgery, including cervical lymph node dissection.
• Retroperitoneal and abdominal wall tumour surgery.
• Peritoneal Oncological Surgery. Peritoneal Carcinomatosis Surgery (gastric, colorectal, ovarian origin, pseudomyxoma); open cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with/without intraoperative/postoperative chemo hyperthermia (HIPEC/EPIC).

The Pathological Anatomy Service of HCB Hospitales does not have a direct relationship with patients, it is a Support Service for the rest of the medical or surgical specialties. Surgeons, gastroenterologists, oncologists, etc. Biopsy and cytology samples are sent for study.

Having this service allows the ITIC to obtain a rapid diagnosis and design a treatment plan quickly and efficiently.

Currently, given the progress of Medicine, it is often required that the patient’s assessment be comprehensive and carried out within a multidisciplinary team, where each professional has specific input. This attitude is especially important in cancer patients.

The Psycho-oncology area of ​​the ITIC HCB offers treatments to both the diagnosed patient and their relatives to help manage situations that can be difficult to deal with during the active treatment phase and the remission phase, which for some people is usually as complex to assimilate as the treatment.

This service works in a personalized way, with individual and group psychotherapy, on various areas that can be affected during the disease process, such as:

• Adherence to treatment.
• Alterations in body image and physical changes underlying the various therapeutic techniques to which the patient is subjected.
• The meaning and purpose of life.
• Prevention of complex emotional disorders.
• Sexuality during the therapeutic process.
• Accompaniment.
• After discharge, emotional support in returning to life prior to diagnosis.
• Approach to the secondary effects of the disease/treatment that may be generated in the long term.
• Support in the management of emotional dysregulation generated by revisions.

At the ITIC we study and treat cancer from a comprehensive and human perspective. We believe that the fight against cancer should be based on the self-esteem and desire to live of each patient.