Radboudumc Center of Expertise for Sarcomas

Appointment and first visit

Your general practitioner or attending specialist will refer you to our center of expertise. An information package will then be sent to your home about:

• the outpatient clinic
• date and time of your appointment

 
The specialist will look closely at the available information. To keep the burden on patients to a minimum, we will ask you to travel to Radboudumc as little as possible. We try to combine your appointments with the specialist with other appointments.

Operation

If the specialist expects surgery is needed, we will also make an appointment at the outpatient anesthesia clinic.

Additional examinations

Sometimes additional examinations are required, such as an X-ray, scan or blood test. An informative consultation with a nurse may also take place.

Your appointment

If your appointment with the specialist is combined with other appointments, your hospital visit may take longer. It is advisable to take this into account beforehand. It is also good to bring someone with you because you often get a lot of information.
The treatment is often multidisciplinary, and therefore a consultation may be required before we can thoroughly discuss the treatment plan with you.

What to bring to your first visit

Insurance papers
Every resident of the Netherlands is obliged to take out health insurance. The basic package reimburses the costs. However, keep in mind, you will have to pay your deductible.
Form of identification
Hospitals are subject to an identification requirement. You can identify yourself using a legal form of identification like passport, Dutch driving license or identity card.

Where to check in?

When visiting Radboudumc for the first time, please register at the central registration desk in the main entrance hall. Here, your personal information is checked and recorded in the hospital registration system.
The invitation for your outpatient visit will state the outpatient clinic you are to visit. In the hospital, follow the route number as described in the invitation.

Multidisciplinary patient consultation

At Radboudumc’s center of expertise in sarcomas, all patients are discussed in a multidisciplinary patient consultation, the tumor working group sarcomas.
 
All the specialists concerned are present at these weekly consultations. There is always a surgeon, an orthopedic surgeon, an internist oncologist, a radiotherapist, a pathologist, a radiologist, and a nuclear physician present. We then discuss all the examinations that were carried out and determine the best possible treatment.

Research at Radboudumc

Research at Radboudumc:

• Floor Verspoor (Orthopaedics): synovitis villonodularis pigmentosa, PhD track
• Addy vd Luijtgaarden (Medical Oncology): bone sarcomas, PhD trajectory
• Marije Weidema (Medical Oncology): collision atoms, angiosarcomas, PhD trajectory
• Ronald Tielen (Medical Oncology & Physics): GIST
• Simône Langenberg and José Custers (Medical Oncology): psychosocial research, including GIST, PhD track.
• Myrella Vlenterie(Medical Oncology): synoviosarcoma and angiogenesis
• Suzanne Kaal (Medical Oncology): Ewingsarcoma and care for AYAs, PhD track.
• Hanneke Vos (Childhood Oncology)
• Nico Verdonschot/Ingrid van der Geest (Orthopaedics): 2MoreCare, predicting functional outcomes after tumor section
• DOTS (Dutch Orthopedic Tumor Society): KWF subsidy for research on pathological fractures
• Vicky Soomers (Medical Oncology): the diagnostic process for patients with a sarcoma

Education regarding sarcomas

Radboudumc’s center of expertise in sarcomas provides education for students of Medicine, the nursing program, and of other programs. We also offer medical specialists (trainee) the opportunity to do an internship. It is also possible for students to carry out academic research within our center of expertise.
 
Our center of expertise also contributes to the further training and education of medical specialists (trainee), general practitioners, nurse practitioners and (oncology) nurses through Q and A evenings and refresher training symposia.

Participating in research

The various departments involved in this center of expertise conduct scientific research. As a patient, you may be asked to participate. You can only participate in research with written consent. Without your consent, we will not conduct any research. Every research project within our departments has been approved by CMO.