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Interview with Margarita Victorovna Kazantceva

21.10.2013

Chief physician of the Clinical Cancer Center No. 1 of the Ministry of Health of Krasnodar Territory, chief oncologist of the Krasnodar Territory

What is the value of master classes for professionals in the regions and in particular for the Krasnodar Territory?

Master class is one of the most effective forms of improving skills for each established specialist. During the master class, the opportunity is offered to not only hear, but also, more importantly, to see how a new technology or method is used in practice; this is done by means of presentation and commentary of action sequence by the leading expert. This form of training allows a wider range of doctors to gain practical skills needed for mastering in various new techniques in order to enhance professional skills and share best practices in the treatment of cancer patients. Master classes held at the Clinical Cancer Center No. 1 in Krasnodar, participated by leading Russian scientists, strengthened the practical experience of the Kuban oncologists in many of the technologies that were previously available only in the federal Russian clinics.

Why maintenance therapy in oncology is given special attention at master classes? What are the main challenges to date in this area?

To date, maintenance therapy is a significant contributor to the complex treatment of cancer patients, providing an acceptable quality of life for patients at all stages of the disease. After surgery, radiation-, chemo-, hormono- or immunotherapy, what patient needs is elimination of side effects and complications, functioning of all vital systems of the organism, effective methods for the treatment of depressive disorders, and prevention of infections. If maintenance therapy is not used side effects may be very severe; they not only degrade the quality of life of cancer patients, but sometimes interfere with treatment. The level of training of a specialist in this area affects the quality of patient management. Therefore the competent maintenance therapy is one of the main tasks of an oncologist, without which it is impossible to use special treatment methods.

How effective is the format of master classes with "Space Bridge" option? What opportunities does this format offers? How regions were selected where the broadcast was conducted?

The advantages of this approach to the health care workers training are evident: it generates a genuine interest in the topic studied, makes it accessible to a large number of professionals from all parts of the region, and also enables peer discussions of the study subject directly on the working place.
Teleconferences from Clinical Cancer Center No. 1 were broadcasted online and participated by doctors from other oncology institutions of Kuban, including Armavir, Sochi, Novorossiysk and Yeisk cancer dispensaries, and available for professionals all over the territory; not only the professional level of doctors of Clinical Cancer Center No. 1 is improved, but that of oncologists in the whole Krasnodar Territory.
There is no doubt that one of the main advantages of telemedicine is the opportunity to conduct a master class online and let professionals who do not have the opportunity to arrive to participate in the event, thus excluding travel time and related expenses. Thanks to telemedicine, they can watch the master class, which is conducted by the most authoritative experts of leading medical centers, while being hundreds kilometers away at this moment.

Do you, as the chief oncologist of the Krasnodar Territory, have any special wishes to organizers of educational programs?

Medical technologies are continuously developing, opening up more and more sophisticated methods of diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of cancer patients. That is why it is imperative for an educational program to provide the maximum amount of useful information about innovative medical technologies. Our Clinical Cancer Center No. 1 with the traditional hospitality of the Kuban is ready to meet leading national and foreign experts in oncology, who wish to share the advanced experiences and discuss new trends and prospects of the development of medical science.

FOR REFERENCE.
Master class on maintenance therapy in oncology is an educational project for doctors implemented by the professional Russian Society of Hematology with the support of non-profit partnership Equal Right to Life. The Russian Society of Hematology is lead by Irina Vladimirovna Poddubnaya, a corresponding member of RAMS, doct. med. sci., professor, head of the department of oncology and vice rector for academic affairs and international cooperation at the Russian Medical Academy of Post-Graduate Education. As part of the project, educational outreach events are organized for physicians and specialists at the regional cancer centers across the country. The events include theoretical courses and practical workshops conducted by experts from federal institutions. During master classes doctors are able to not only gain new knowledge about methods of cancer treatment but also to participate in conferences on analysis of the most complex cases and get advice from leading national experts on the treatment of individual patients. In order to make educational events more accessible to professionals from different, even the most remote regions, master classes for physicians are conducted online starting from 2012. For more information, please visit the website: lymphoma.ru.