Mission StatementTumor and Breast CenterEastern Switzerland

Preliminary remarks and Vision 2022

The Tumor and Breast Center is a group practice with several locations and brings together employees from various professional groups and medical disciplines under one roof. The purpose of the center is the assessment, treatment and follow-up care of people with tumors and breast diseases.

The center is characterized by its patient-centred approach, proven expertise and high quality of treatment. It aims to establish itself as a practice network with several practice locations and consultation hours as the first outpatient point of contact in Eastern Switzerland for hematological, oncological and senological issues and to offer people with tumor, blood or breast diseases care close to home.

The Tumor and Breast Center Eastern Switzerland is already part of the certified Breast Center Stephanshorn, St. Gallen. In addition, further disease-related specializations are being sought in the areas of urogenital, gynaecological and gastrointestinal tumours as well as significant participation in future certifications of corresponding organ centers in collaboration with specialist colleagues and the Hirslanden Klinik Stephanshorn.

Our organizational structure

We are an autonomous and independent company, organized as a public limited company. The shareholders are 12 doctors working at 4 different locations, all with equal shares.
The management consists of 5 people. The Board of Directors is made up of 3 external persons and 2 partners.

Dr. med. Angelika Bickel
Dr. med. Matthias Egger
Dr. med. Verena Elisabeth Egidy-Pioch
Dr. med. Rahel Hiltebrand
PD Dr. Dr. med. Friedemann Honecker
Prof. Dr. med. Michael Knauer
PD Dr. med. habil. Markus Niemeyer
Prof. Dr. med. Florian Otto
Prof. Dr. med. Thomas Ruhstaller
Dr. med. Isabella Schönenberger
Dr. med. Patrik Weder
Prof. Dr. med. Katja Zirlik

Dr. med. Rahel Hiltebrand
PD Dr. Dr. med. Friedemann Honecker
Dr. med. Matthias Egger
Dr. med. Isabella Schönenberger (Delegate of the Board of Directors)
Prof. Dr. med. Thomas Ruhstaller (Chairman of the Executive Board, CEO)

Markus Diggelmann, lic. iur. HSG, (Chairman of the Board of Directors)
Béatrice Fink Düring, lic. oec. HSG
Prof. Dr. med. Michael Knauer (Vice-Chairman)
Dr. med. Isabella Schönenberger (Delegate of the BoD)
André Steiner

Treviso Revisions AG, St.Gallen

Fields of activity

General tumor therapy

The Tumor and Breast Center Eastern Switzerland offers comprehensive and evidence-based assessment, consultation, support and treatment as well as aftercare for patients with haematological and oncological diseases "from a single source". It is a relevant service provider in the outpatient sector and fulfills an important part of the care mandate in the region for the consultation and treatment of people with tumour, blood or breast diseases.

Senology

In addition to the broad range of services provided in general haematology and internal oncology, there is already a focus on senology (breast diseases). As the point of contact with the highest annual number of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients in the St. Gallen region, the Tumor and Breast Center offers rapid and comprehensive clarification, in-depth consultation and guideline-based treatment of breast diseases, especially breast cancer. Patient care is provided in an interdisciplinary and multi-professional network. To this end, close cooperation has been established with other members of the certified Stephanshorn Breast Center, which is largely supported and managed by employees of the Tumor and Breast Center.

Genetic counseling

Another focus of the Tumor and Breast Center is the genetic clarification and consultation of patients and family members of families with a high incidence of tumors.

Corporate mission statement:Who we are, how we work, what guides us

The employees of all professional groups working at the Tumor and Breast Center pursue the common goal of offering patients, their relatives and other caregivers personal and empathetic support and care. It is important to us to place the person and not their illness at the center of our work. Our shared mission is to provide advice, point out treatment options, help reduce anxiety and work together with patients and their relatives to achieve the best possible treatment outcome.

We want to heal, help and accompany.

Modern, knowledge-based medicine

The Tumor and Breast Center works on the basis of knowledge- and evidence-based medicine and provides its services in accordance with the latest oncological therapy standards and treatment recommendations. As an important service provider in the region's healthcare system, we take the WZW criteria (effective, appropriate and economical) into account when providing medical services, but wherever necessary we are committed to providing tumor patients with the most effective and gentle therapy.

Our patients' therapies are discussed by the team and, where possible, are based on defined treatment paths. These are determined by doctors in conferences (tumor boards) and case discussions according to transparent and comprehensible criteria and are constantly adapted to the latest findings.

We want patients to be able to understand and support treatment decisions so that they know what is being done and why it is being done.

Treatment in a team

We understand multi-professionalism and interdisciplinarity as cooperation at eye level with an appreciative culture of communication and discussion.
In addition to medical specialists with many years of experience in management positions, our treatment team includes highly qualified nursing staff, medical practice assistants and secretaries with head and heart, a trained team of laboratory technicians and a clinical study team. If necessary, specialists in nutritional counseling and psycho-oncological and palliative medical care can also be called in from our network at any time and at short notice.

We want patients and their relatives to feel that they are well looked after and in good hands.

Cooperation with referring physicians and regional networking

We strive to offer our referring physicians and all medical colleagues a high quality of service, to carry out low-threshold and problem-oriented consultations and, depending on the work assignment, to help care for patients or to take over their treatment completely.

A sustainable regional network and regular exchange with GPs and other primary care specialists, specialist colleagues, outpatient care and palliative care teams, as well as providers of inpatient hospital services in all service categories is essential for seamless treatment quality without interface problems.

As a reliable partner in a network of practitioners, we want to play a central role in advising and treating tumor patients.

Science and research

Science and research are important to us. The majority of the center's medical staff are themselves involved in scientific and academic activities, regularly organize internal and external training courses and congresses and hold teaching positions at various universities.
We conduct clinical research by participating in studies conducted by national and international clinical research groups on the one hand, and in the form of our own research projects in the field of oncology, including aspects of nursing science, on the other.

In our clinical research activities, we are as committed to patient well-being and the best possible quality of treatment as we are to our clinical work.

We base our treatments on evidence and want to actively contribute to continuously improving the care of tumor patients through science and practical research projects.

Training and further education

We provide training and regularly organize or facilitate qualified further and advanced training events and courses for specialist colleagues and our employees. We want to be an attractive employer and be available to our patients at all levels with trained and highly competent contact persons.

Sustainability

We are aware of the value and importance of limited human and material resources and therefore attach great importance in our company to considering the sustainability of our decisions.

We want to avoid the unnecessary use of resources and develop our company in an economically, ecologically and socially sustainable manner.