[Rationale and rational tumor after-care from the viewpoint of a community hospital]

After an operation and once discharged, all patients with tumor diseases have to receive follow-up medical supervision and therapeutic/chemotherapeutic procedures. Tumorstaging and -grading must be considered. All in-patient chemotherapeutic treatment for gastrointestinal-, liver-, breast- and thyroid gland tumors generally takes place in the surgical department. We are convinced that ethical considerations in the treatment of tumor patients are important.