Complex Centre for Orthopaedic Treatment of Musculoskeletal Tumours

Complex Centre for Treatment of Musculoskeletal Tumours is one of three official centres of this type established at the instigation of the Czech Society for Orthopaedics and Traumatology on the recommendation of the Czech Oncological Society. It is a pillar of this area in the health care system of our country.

The establishment of specialized centres is a long-standing trend in medicine. With the development of medicine and the increase in the complexity of modern medical care, it is logical that rare and therapeutically complex diagnoses are concentrated in specialized centers. This way not only ensures more efficient allocation of scarce health insurance resources, but above all these centres guarantee maximum quality of healthcare in the country.

One of the most important prognostic factors for success is the treatment of the patient in a specialised centre from the very beginning.

"It is not in the power of the doctor to cure all patients, but he should always do his best for them and try to push his capabilities further."

Director of the Center
MUDr. Jan Lesenský, MD, Ph.D.

More on the centre:

The orthopaedic clinic at the University Hospital Bulovka has the longest tradition not only in Czech Republic, but is also one of the oldest in Europe. In the 1970s, professor Matějovský was an internationally recognised authority and one of the fifteen founding members of the European Musculo-Skeletal Oncology Society (E.M.S.O.S.). The Bulovka Centre of Musculoskeletal oncology belongs to the pioneering centres in European context. It was here that first chemotherapy for bone tumours was administered and the centre played an important role in shaping the basic rules of treatment that are still in effect today. One of key principles of modern medicine is international cooperation, which has been cultivated at our clinic since its foundation and we have long-lasting personal contacts with foreign peers (Bologna, Padua, Vienna, Gratz, Athens, New York, Tel Aviv and many others). Foreign education is one of the conditions for professional growth and it is also admirable that the generational continuity of education has been sustained without interruption.

The Orthopaedic Clinic at Bulovka is the largest and most comprehensive orthopaedic department in the Czech Republic. It is also the only institution that covers the full spectrum of orthopaedic surgery and the physicians here are able to deal with tumours in any location of the human body. The clinic has six wards, 148 beds and a 24/7 service including surgical theatres. The operating theatres were completely renovated in 2006 and have a full range of modern technologies including neuromonitoring, perioperative CT, surgical navigation, etc.

The Bulovka University Hospital also houses the largest radiation oncology unit in the Czech Republic, which has a direct connection to the Proton Centre within the hospital premises. It also houses several other certified specialty oncology centres (Urooncology Centre, Oncogynecology Centre, Pneumooncology Centre). We also collaborate closely with vascular and plastic surgery. The A&E departments with the Emergency Department are equipped with the latest technology including ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) and thus provide a resourceful and proffesional background for even the most complex multi-hour surgeries.

A full spectrum of modern diagnostic methods are available in the hospital complex (two MRI machines, two HRCTs, a Nuclear Medicine Department including positron emission tomography imaging). A dedicated soft tissue tumour Sonography service is available every Thursday. Interventional radiologists perform CT-guided biopsies and pre-operative tumour embolizations, and also radiofrequency ablations.

The National Centre for Treatment of Musculoskeletal Tumours offers interdisciplinary cooperation at the highest possible level and a well-founded, super-specialised team of experts, thanks to which Bulovka University Hospital is able to provide integrated patient care competitive to the top centres abroad.