Mecklenburg-Vorpommern offers not only the natural conditions for this, but also the medical expertise to increase the general well-being and mobilize the self-healing powers: Pristine coastal landscapes and wide beaches invite you to go for a walk, countless hiking and biking trails lead through hilly landscapes past old castles and manor houses and at the blue-green shimmering sea you can enjoy dreamlike sunsets. Just the right thing to recharge body and soul and to support oncological treatments.

With high-tech and naturopathy against cancer

In medicine, cancer is defined as a malignant growth of tissue. For many types of cancer, there is a good chance of recovery after complete removal of the tumor. In addition to conventional surgery, techniques such as laser surgery and endoscopy are available. Chemotherapies, radiation therapies and drug therapies are often used as accompanying therapies. In the health state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, very modern and gentle therapy methods are available for some types of tumors. These include the CyberKnife technology of the SAPHIR Radiosurgery Center in Güstrow.

Radiosurgery with CyberKnife

With CyberKnife, the SAPHIR Radiosurgery Center in Güstrow has one of the most modern and effective therapies for tumor treatment. High doses of radiation can be focused with millimeter precision using advanced digital image guidance and robotic control. This ensures minimal impact on healthy organs while maximizing effectiveness. Because of this precision, the technology is particularly suitable for treatments within the skull and for moving tumors, e.g., tumors in the lungs and liver.

Complementary medicine and naturopathy for cancer

In the spirit of holistic treatment, complementary medicine offers a variety of gentle natural remedies to accompany cancer therapies and alleviate conventional side effects. The spectrum ranges from herbal agents to treatment methods of Chinese medicine such as acupuncture and Qigong, which primarily serve to relax and strengthen the self-healing powers. At the University Medical Center Rostock, there has been a chair for naturopathy since 2002.

Sport even with cancer

The health state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern promises a variety of opportunities for exercise in the fresh air. After all, sport improves physical performance and has a positive influence on the psyche. Physical activity also reduces typical side effects of chemotherapy, such as fatigue or listlessness. In addition, binding exercise times strengthen self-confidence, increase the quality of life and structure everyday life. The attending physician or the specialists in the cancer rehabilitation clinics take care to create an individual training plan that is adapted to the patient's physical capabilities.

Help and support with cancer

A cancer disease affects a person in his or her entire personality and influences family life, working life and the social environment. The range of services offered by cancer rehabilitation clinics for follow-up treatment is correspondingly extensive. In addition, there are numerous counseling centers and self-help groups to ensure individual and medico-psychologically meaningful support oriented to the personal burdens.

Baltic Sea vacation despite cancer treatment

The Klinikum Südstadt Rostock offers cancer patients the possibility of a stay at the Baltic Sea even during ongoing treatment. In coordination with the attending physician, the course of treatment can be continued individually. For patients and relatives there is also a clinic-owned, nearby accommodation, the Villa "S".

• Villa S

Self-help groups between Baltic Sea & Lake District

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has a database for self-help groups of cancer patients. Anyone interested can start a search there by zip code or the specific tumor disease in order to contact a group. If no contact person can be found, it is possible to initiate a group oneself.

• Cancer Self-Help MV

Rehab after cancer - specialized clinics for follow-up rehabilitation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

• Graal-Müritz

As a cancer rehabilitation clinic, the Graal-Müritz Specialist Clinic for Oncology has been pursuing an oncological concept that integrates both conventional medical and holistic treatment strategies since 1988. By means of modern diagnostics, the rehabilitation team obtains an overview of the clinical picture and creates an individual therapy goal for each patient. The varied offer on the way to more vitality and quality of life includes among other things: medicinal cancer therapy, pain therapy, psychotherapy, physical therapies such as condition therapy, muscle building training, breathing training, breathing and inhalation therapy, relaxation techniques and ergotherapy.

• Boltenhagen

The Strandklinik Boltenhagen offers follow-up rehabilitation and aftercare for tumor diseases of the following organ systems: the female mammary gland, the kidney, the draining urinary tract and the male genitals, the bronchia and the lung, the thyroid gland and the hematopoietic system and the lymph nodes. In addition, the clinic also has treatment specialties in cardiology and angiology.

• Ückeritz

This rehabilitation facility, idyllically located on the island of Usedom, specializes in follow-up treatment for patients with malignant tumor diseases, especially of the mammary gland and skin. Helping patients to help themselves is a major concern of the entire team of therapists. Various physical therapies, nutritional and social counseling are offered.

• Ahrenshoop

The modern Helios Beach Clinic offers follow-up treatment for all oncological diseases, from leukemia, breast and lung cancer, bone and soft tissue tumors to brain tumors. Since 1993, treatments in the areas of orthopedics, cardiology and neurology have also been among the main focuses.

As a cancer patient at the Baltic Sea

Sun, wind and sea - that is pure relaxation for many people. Cancer patients can also find numerous opportunities to relax and recharge their batteries on the Baltic Sea coast as part of their oncological treatment.

Vacation despite cancer - thanks to reliable care structure

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern offers patients and their families a reliable medical care structure with oncology centers in

• Rostock (University Medical Center and Klinikum Süd),
• Greifswald (University Medical Center),
• Schwerin (Helios Clinics) and
• Neubrandenburg (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Clinic).

In these specialized centers, the medical care of all tumor diseases, from diagnostics and therapy to aftercare, is ensured at the highest level and scientifically accompanied by in-depth research foci. For example, the University Medical Center Rostock has one of the largest breast cancer treatment centers in Germany.

Of great importance in the oncology centers are the interdisciplinary case conferences, in which physicians from different disciplines discuss the best individual therapy design based on current study results and guidelines. The centers are also affiliated with interdisciplinary oncology day clinics, which provide extensive individualized and patient-oriented options for diagnosis, therapy and follow-up care.

With cancer in the best hands

Many hospitals in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have oncology specialists who have made a name for themselves throughout Germany. For example, a proven expert in tumor surgery and especially liver and pancreas surgery is Prof. Dr. med. habil. Prof. h.c. Matthias Birth, Medical Director of the Helios Klinik Stralsund.

You can find all oncology practices in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania under the following link of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians:

• Physician search of the KV

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the holistic care of patients with tumor diseases is sustainably promoted through close cooperation and integration of the entire medical care chain (general practitioners, specialists, hospitals, psychosocial aftercare facilities, self-help organizations and hospices). For example, designated rehabilitation clinics for follow-up treatment of tumor diseases, such as the cancer rehab clinic in Graal-Müritz, care exclusively for cancer patients.

Due to these diverse regional competencies, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern hosted the Open Cancer Conference in Rostock-Warnemünde on Nov. 15, 2017. This largest forum for cancer patients and their relatives in Germany takes place every two years in a different federal state and provides information about current developments in cancer medicine.

Good to know

What is cancer?

In medicine, cancer is understood to be a malignant tissue neoplasm or malignant (malignant) tumor. Hemoblastoses (a collective term for malignant diseases of the hematopoietic system) are also referred to as cancer, just as leukemia, for example, is considered a blood cancer. Cancer is the second most common cause of death among men and women in Germany. The medical discipline surrounding the treatment of cancer is called oncology. In principle, any organ of the human body can be affected by cancer. However, the most common cancers in Germany are tumors of the mammary gland (women), the prostate (men), and the lungs and colon. Cancer has different triggers, such as environmental toxins and radiation, which affect the genetic material and ultimately all lead to a disturbance of the balance between cell growth and cell death.

Cancer therapy and some aspects of lifestyle

About 40 percent of all cancer patients are cured with the help of appropriate cancer therapy. This means that no new tumor growth (recurrence) occurs in the five years following treatment. However, even if complete or permanent removal of the existing tumors is not possible, targeted further treatments can prolong life, delay disease symptoms and maintain quality of life.

Natural remedy: Sea buckthorn cares for skin during chemotherapy

A popular regional natural remedy for alleviating the accompanying symptoms of chemotherapy is sea buckthorn. Sea buckthorn, which grows abundantly near the coast, is not only a valuable source of vitamin C, but can also alleviate bothersome accompanying symptoms such as redness and swelling of the skin, itching, scaly or inflamed areas of the skin, and problems in the mouth and throat. In a study conducted by Chemnitz Hospital, it was observed that regular use of a skin cream containing sea buckthorn extract or ingestion of an oil made from sea buckthorn pulp led to a reduction in these common side effects.

Nutrition and cancer

Various information about nutrition and cancer can be found on the website of the German Cancer Society.