The Frankfurt pathway, explained plainly.
What the treatments are, why I went, and what actually happens if Professor Vogl believes treatment is appropriate for you.
Professor Thomas Vogl
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas J. Vogl is a highly experienced interventional radiologist and a salaried professor and physician at University Hospital Frankfurt.
His interventional work includes techniques such as transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE), microwave ablation and cryoablation. His service also has access to highly sophisticated imaging and image-guided treatment technology, which has been central to my own treatment and ongoing surveillance.
Transarterial chemoembolisation
Delivers chemotherapy directly through the arteries supplying liver tumours, while simultaneously reducing their blood supply.
I underwent 11 TACE treatments.
Microwave ablation
Uses a precisely positioned probe and heat to destroy targeted tumour tissue.
I underwent one microwave ablation.
Freezing tumour tissue
Uses extreme cold to freeze and destroy tumour tissue.
I did not personally have cryoablation, but it is part of Professor Vogl's interventional work and can be used in appropriate cases.
An important point about the UK
TACE is available in the UK. I want to be accurate about this, because it is often misunderstood and I don't want to add to that.
TACE is available here for certain indications and selected patients. What was not available to me in the UK, in my circumstances, was the type and extent of interventional treatment Professor Vogl was prepared to consider for my particular metastatic disease burden.
That distinction is fundamental. This is not a story about a treatment that doesn't exist in Britain. It is a story about the difference between what exists and what is offered to a particular patient.
What a first appointment involves.
This applies if Professor Vogl considers it appropriate for you to proceed, and confirms that treatment is an option for you.
- 01
Specialist imaging. A first appointment would typically involve MRI and CT scanning.
- 02
Consultation with Professor Vogl. He and his team assess your individual case.
- 03
Treatment, where clinically appropriate and agreed. These interventional treatments are undertaken on a day-case or outpatient basis, rather than requiring an overnight hospital stay.
- 04
Aftercare and documentation. Immediate aftercare is provided on the ward, with anti-sickness medication and pain relief, and you leave with documentation evidencing the treatment you have had that day.
Referral does not guarantee treatment
A referral does not guarantee that Professor Vogl will recommend treatment. Suitability for scans, investigations or any particular treatment is determined by Professor Vogl and his medical team, based on your individual circumstances. Germany is not appropriate for every patient, and no outcome is ever guaranteed.
Navigating it is the hard part.
Frankfurt does not communicate the way UK patients expect. Appointment letters, detailed instructions and pre-treatment information do not necessarily arrive in the same way. The administration can be slow, and there is a language barrier.
That is the gap I help people bridge — and it is the part I had to work out for myself, while I was extremely unwell.