The General Surgery and Oncology Surgery Centre is one of the leading oncology and general surgery treatment facilities of Estonia. The centre is one-of-a-kind in Estonia, specialising in treatment of various cancer sites and addressing surgical disease.
Why undergo treatment at the General Surgery and Oncology Surgery Centre?
We are the only centre in Estonia that has surgeons specialising on various sites of cancer as well as benign surgical diseases. We have separate departments for upper and lower gastrointestinal tract diseases, and soft tissue, skin and bariatric diseases. In addition to practising medicine, our surgeons train younger colleagues on a daily basis.
We are a training base for both the University of Tartu medical department and Tallinn Health Care College. In cooperation with Tallinn University of Technology, we participate in research activities and find innovative solutions for various medical problems. Every day, our surgeons participate in interdisciplinary medical councils and all of the more serious patient cases are discussed together.
Thanks to specialisation, we can offer our patients an individual and personalised approach, and select the best treatment for the patient. We treat all northern Estonian patients with complicated emergency pathologies and traumas. In cooperation with the intensive care, orthopaedics, neurosurgery and cardio-thoracic surgery centres, we treat more polytrauma patients than anyone else in Estonia.
Departments
The General Surgery and Oncology Surgery Centre is divided into four independent units which are in close contact with one another- upper gastrointestinal tract surgey department, lower gastrointestinal tract oncology and general surgery department, skin and soft tissue tumours and bariatric surgery department and melanoma unit.
Upper gastrointestinal tract surgery department
The department primarily deals with tumours and other diseases found at this part of the body. Our team has extensive experience treating benign and malignant diseases of the oesophagus, intestine, pancreas and liver/bile duct. In addition to surgery, we offer endoscopic disease diagnostics and immediate treatment when required.
Lower gastrointestinal tract oncology and general surgery department
The department, specialising wholly in large intestine (colon and rectum) tumours, is the leading department in its field in Estonia. The team includes surgeons who previously spent years working at the Estonian Oncology Centre and the Mustamäe Hospital, successfully combining experiences necessary for planned and emergency surgical treatment of large intestinal tumours.
In the last decade, the department's surgeons have had the most experience in Estonia in the laparoscopic operating of large intestine tumours, which ensures the patient a faster recovery with significantly less trauma. In the surgical treatment of rectal tumours, we have successfully implemented the new TEM method, which enables operations that conserve the rectum.
In the last few years, the field of treating metastatic tumours in the large intestine has adopted complicated cytoreductive operations and intraperitoneal chemotherapy. All treatment decisions are discussed ahead of time in daily cooperation with radiotherapy and chemotherapy doctors belonging to multimodal councils, thereby finding each patient the best solution in accordance with the latest treatment guidelines.
The department's doctors have years of experience in endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of tumours. During our outpatient appointments, we deal thoroughly with post-operating oncological check-ups. The timely discovery of tumours is extremely important and ensures the best treatment result.
Skin and soft tissue tumours and bariatric surgery department
The department is the most experienced bariatric surgery department in Estonia, and thanks to our good treatment results we are also recognised by Scandinavian patients. The centre's surgeons carry out over 200 operations annually for patients struggling with obesity, and we are also the largest such centre in the region.
In addition to the surgeons, the team includes a specialised nurse who consults with patients before and after operations. The department's surgeons also specialize in abdominal wall hernias and abdominal wall plasty. Another specialty of the department is skin and soft tissues tumours, in which we also have the most experienced team in Estonia.
Melanoma unit
The melanoma unit is unique in Estonia, as the only provider of melanoma diagnosis, treatment and monitoring. Over 4,000 patients receive assistance here annually. We cooperate closely with Tallinn University of Technology to find new and innovative solutions for diagnosing melanoma. The unit quickly and efficiently organises diagnosis and treatment for skin cancer or melanoma; all of the patients we treat visit us for monitoring while many others who visit us have been treated elsewhere. We are Estonia's only provider of isolated limb infusion chemotherapy in melanoma treatment. Our team is directed by Dr. Marina Teras, senior doctor and dermatologist.
In addition to the doctors, our centre's nurses and care givers have an active role in patient treatment and post-operation care, alleviating the most serious concerns with their generous attention. The General Surgery and Oncology Surgery Centre conducts numerous treatment studies; we are currently participating in an international study on antibacterial treatment for patients with severe abdominal infections. The centre's research focuses on the various aspects of early diagnosis of and surgical treatment of melanoma and avoiding complications.