Reviews of the ALTA Clinic

In the spring of 2017, I was caught by surprise when my doctor notified me that my PSA score was well above normal. An MRI scan then confirmed a case of suspected prostate cancer. My urologist recommended a conventional transrectal needle biopsy to clarify the matter. However, when I read my copy of the consent form for the biopsy at home later that day, I felt uneasy. I read up on the various biopsy procedures available, and then contacted a friend of mine who’s a medical doctor. He told me that he’d undergone conventional needle biopsy on multiple occasions, only to wind up with repeated false negatives, while his PSA score continued to rise. In the end, he went to the ALTA Klink where he underwent an MRI-guided biopsy that confirmed the presence of prostate cancer. I read about the procedure and made an appointment for an MRI-guided biopsy. The result wasn’t what I was hoping for, but I was relieved to finally know for sure what I was up against: prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 7 (3+4).

Headed up by Dr. Lumiani, the ALTA Klinik offers an enhanced form of HIFU treatment for prostate cancer known as TULSA PRO. After meeting with Dr. Lumiani and learning more about what has become a very successful form of treatment, I decided to go ahead and have the prostate tumor removed. I underwent the procedure on July 26, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. It wound up lasting around 50 minutes because the tumor was rather large. At 4:00 p.m., I was then able to walk, with some minimal assistance on the part of the clinic staff, the 400 meters to the inpatient unit, and was discharged in stable condition on the very next day. As was born out in my case, it’s a minimally invasive and very successful form of treatment.

Six months have now passed. All of my follow-up examinations have gone smoothly and the results were what I was hoping for. I can definitely recommend this form of treatment to anyone else whose prostate cancer has been detected on time.

When my PSA score rose in 2015, my urologist recommended that I undergo a fusion biopsy. Fusion biopsy combines the accuracy of preoperative MRI or CT scans with intraoperative ultrasound images to guide the removal of tissue samples. Combining the MRI or CT images with the ultrasound images is thought to enable your doctor to accurately biopsy specific areas of interest in the prostate. Acting on the recommendation of my doctor, I underwent fusion biopsy at the Martini Klinik in Hamburg on January 6, 2016. After examining the 21 samples that had been removed, the pathologist concluded that there was no evidence of a tumor.

When my PSA score then rose from 5.5 to 8.0 between 2016 and 2017, my urologist recommended a Ga 68 PSMA PET/MRI examination and fusion biopsy at the Munich University Hospital. The radioactive substance permits the detection of very small tumors. The biopsy (16 tissue samples) was carried out on January 24, 2018 in Munich.

A week later, the head doctor at the hospital called to say that while the pathology report was again negative for prostate cancer, he had reviewed the MRI scans and found what he regarded as a certain tumor. And what’s more, he said that he’d compared the recent scans with the scans taken two years earlier at the Martini Klinik in Hamburg and detected what he regarded as the smaller, earlier-stage version of the same tumor!

When I asked the doctor why the biopsy hadn’t confirmed the presence of a tumor, he said that the physician who carried out the biopsy must simply have missed the target, adding that my prostate may have been compressed when the biopsy needle was inserted and might therefore have assumed a different shape, a change that can’t always be compensated for during fusion biopsy. He also said that the relatively large distance (3.2 cm) from the wall of the rectum to the tumor may also have played a role.

In the end, he advised me to wait 3 months and then return to the Martini Klinik in Hamburg, which is close to where I live, for a 4-to-6 sample biopsy targeting the location of the tumor. When I asked him what I should do if the additional procedure again failed to hit the tumor, his response was that he didn’t know what I should do.

After checking all of my records, the doctor at the Martini Klinik called me to say that he couldn’t assure me that he would be able to hit the tumor by taking another 4 to 6 samples, and that I should turn to the ALTA Klinik in Bielefeld if I wanted 100% accuracy.

At this point, I had begun to lose faith in the system. A biopsy in Hamburg, then in Munich and now in Bielefeld!? However, after having a look at the ALTA Klinik’s website and later talking to one of their staff members, I had a good feeling.

At the ALTA Klinik, I underwent an MRI-guided biopsy. The doctor inserted two biopsy needles from the buttocks to the prostate, correcting their disposition repeatedly with the help of real-time MRI until he’d perfectly aligned the needles to the middle of the tumor. Other locations were also biopsied on the basis of a template to rule out the presence of cancerous tissue. There was no pain, and there was no need to administer an antibiotic.
Result: As promised on the telephone and on the website, they had successfully targeted the tumor. And the pathologist’s examination turned up adenocarcinoma of the prostate with a Gleason score of 3+4 = 7.

Despite the bad news, I was very satisfied with the treatment at the ALTA Klinik because clarity had at long last been established and this was the basis for planning an appropriate intervention. Although the Martini Klinik in Hamburg enjoys an excellent reputation throughout Europe, the doctors there weren’t able to biopsy my tumor via fusion biopsy. Still, I credit them for their candor and for referring me to the ALTA Klinik.

In contrast, I’m completely disappointed by the staff at the Munich University Hospital. I’m virtually certain that the specialists working at major urology centers in Germany know about the reliable biopsy procedure available at the ALTA Klinik. And the head urologist there should have referred me to the ALTA Klinik. After all, my health was on the line and time had become a critical factor.

Conclusion: 
Neither the Martini Klinik in Hamburg nor the Munich University Hospital was able to successfully removing a sample of tissue from the tumor. I would give the ALTA Klinik an A+ for biopsy accuracy. Many thanks!

I have never felt so well taken care of as in the Alta-Klinik. You have a very special team, starting with the admission, the preliminary talk with Dr. Badzies, who explained us very thoroughly. His extremely calm and competent manner gave me the security that I lacked in my home urologist. The next day's biopsy was also carried out in a very relaxed atmosphere. I will recommend you and your team in any case gladly.

Very pleasant clinic, everything went on time and without the usual hustle and bustle in hospitals and medical practices. Here the patient is taken seriously!

I am very pleased that Dr. Lumiani has succeeded in developing such an innovative procedure for reducing the volume of a benign enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperlasia). For many years I suffered from having to go to the toilet four or five times during the night, so deep sleep was almost unthinkable. After the operation I have now regained my quality of life.

From the appointment to the diagnosis I felt very well taken care of. Everything was done punctually and on time. The best thing is that you get all relevant information immediately after the examination in an understandable way. I especially liked that the sisters stayed human up to the doctor and that you don't have to deal with any "gods in white". Thank you for everything and stay that way

I had turned to the ALTA Clinic with great "jitters" for the purpose of further diagnostics after prostate cancer suspicion! - In the meantime everything is so far over: Incoming CT + MRT + biopsy - therapy were prepared by Dr. Badzies, and despite - or due to positive findings? - I can only speak in admiration of the overall treatment. As promised: painless biopsy, complication-free overall course, detailed and competent consultation of the results with presentation of the perspective by Dr. M. Badzies.

After presentation of previous examination results (PSA value, PSMA-PET-MRT, laboratory result of a biopsy) and evaluation by Dr. Lumiani and the request for a second opinion call on Monday and appointment for the next day for a multiparametric MRI examination of the prostate and conversation with the urologist. Recording and preliminary discussion in a quiet, relaxed atmosphere. Doctors not dressed in "white" contribute to the reduction of distances and relax the situation. Evaluation discussion of the MRI images on the patient in detail and understandably. The written findings are clearly formulated and, after translation of a few technical terms, are generally understandable for a layman. The report helps with further therapy by "Hausurologen"/family doctor. I can unreservedly recommend an examination at the Alta-Klinik.

I had a prostate MRI done due to bad PSA values, can only say good things about the clinic, no long waiting times, very nice staff, very friendly people and no doctor's gowns! I really felt very comfortable there and the doctor explains that very clearly! Only praise for the clinic and many thanks also for the fast appointment allocation!