Centraliseren van kankerzorg: goed plan.

The complexity of diagnosis and treatment for common cancers is rapidly increasing due to multimodality treatment options, advanced imaging, molecular pathology and 'personalized medicine'. To achieve the best chances for cure, treatment centres need to invest in highly trained personnel, including all the necessary diagnostic and therapeutic subspecialists, and in high-tech facilities. In the Netherlands, many patients receive care in community hospitals that lack key members of a treatment team (e.g. the radiotherapist). Such teams may depend on weekly or biweekly cancer conferences with external experts to arrive at patient-management decisions. It is recommended that such hospitals either upgrade their teams and facilities or refer their patients to a hospital that has an established cancer centre.