The European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists – EUSOMA – awarded the INS – Normandy Breast Institute, located within the François Baclesse Cancer Centre, its European certification label.
Baclesse, the first French centre to obtain EUSOMA certification
This certification, the most demanding at European level, materialises recognition of care and management of breast cancers within the institute. It requires, not only for all the necessary diagnostic, technical and treatment techniques, but also a database to enable the collection and prospective evaluation of the necessary indicators to monitor care quality.
Every year, the Normandy Breast Institute, established within the François Baclesse Cancer Centre, treats over 1,000 new patients presenting with breast cancer, from across the region, and provides them with long-term follow-up.
This experience, associated with the will to deliver top-quality and comprehensive care (via all available medico-surgical techniques, but also supportive care), has offered the INS the privilege of becoming the 1st French centre (and, to date, the only one) to obtain this certification.
L’Institut Normand du Sein – The Normandy Breast Institute
The INS reunites and federates all the François Baclesse Cancer Centre’s teams and departments specialising in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.
- Medical imaging platform (mammograph, ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, PET) ensuring access to all screening, diagnosis and interventional radiology procedures;
- Surgical platform for all carcinological and reconstructive surgery procedures;
- Day hospital with 40 beds for administration of chemotherapy and targeted therapies;
- Radiotherapy department boasting the latest in radiotherapy machines, in particular an interoperative radiotherapy system specifically reserved for breast cancer;
- Medical oncology team devoted to breast cancer;
- Nursing team devoted to monitoring the care path of patients undergoing treatment;
- Structured oral therapy prescription during three-party consultations (oncologist, pharmacist, care path nurse);
- BioPathology department, associating the Pathology department for diagnosos, the Oncogenetic department and the Biology and Cancer genetics laboratory for follow-up of family cases;
- Supportive care platform offering a whole range of care options (pain, nutrition, psychological support, social welfare support, socio-aesthetics, auriculotherapy, sophrology, relaxation, onco-sexuality, functional rehabilitation and lymphology, adapted physical activity, onco-geriatry, etc.);
- Clinical research department offering access to therapeutic innovation within the framework of national and international clinical trials. The onco-senology department is actively involved in the Unicancer (network of CLCC cancer centres) ‘breast’ group.
The EUSOMA label within the context of the COVID-19 epidemic
Obtaining such a label highlights the importance of abiding by a certain number of quality criteria, in particular waiting times which can result in loss of chance, particularly in oncology.
The COVID-19 epidemic must not result in:
- delayed diagnosis for patients presenting with symptomes likely to be associated with early stage cancer;
- delayed therapy for those who have already initiated their care path.
The entire network of healthcare professionals (private surgeries, clinics, hospitals and cancer centres) is mobilised and organised in order to reduce as far as possible the risk of COVID-19 contamination for patients, accompanying persons and staff, whilst ensuring continued care, with progressive resumption of consultations.
