Bookmark this page or recommend it.

Welcome to the Homepage of the Centre of Integrated Oncology (CIO). On this Internet portal, you will find information about a range of treatment and support services CIO can offer you, your family and significant others if you suffer from a serious and advanced illness. Our goal is to facilitate self determination and a dignified life in this particularly difficult stage of your life. Physical and non-physical problems which may be associated with cancer must be professionally recognised  and treated as soon as possible. In this respect, the Department of Palliative Medicine is an important  partner, and a palliative care physician will be involved in your treatment from an early stage.

On the 7th April 1983, Germany’s first palliative care ward commenced its operation with a small, five-bed unit located at the Clinic for Surgery, University Hospital Köln. The history of Germany’s palliative medicine began with this demonstration project. Today’s Clinic for Palliative Medicine evolved from the original unit reflecting a 25-year history. Through the years, the original ward providing services for terminally ill cancer patients has developed into an exemplary clinical centre with 15 beds, ambulatory and outpatient palliative care service, and a campus based education facility for continuing and advanced education. The focus of the Centre for Palliative Medicine’s work is the patient and we orientate ourselves in every respect to your needs.  For us, palliative medicine means ACTIVE  help with living.

We have set out in the following sections, the main areas of our work together with other important information: