Interview with Dr Jean-Pierre Chevalley Visceral surgery

Tell us about your background and why did you choose to specialize in visceral and oncological surgery?
At the end of my studies at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lausanne, I chose to do a training in surgery. Visceral surgery, an extremely demanding specialty, fascinates me as much by the importance of the diagnosis, the human contact and the followup of the patients as by its complexity. I worked at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois in various departments and in particular in medical oncology, field in which I did my thesis. I then completed my surgical training mainly at the University Clinic Basel, while «rotating » in several surgical specialties. After all these years, many of them as head of clinic, I chose to join the Clinic of Genolier for the quality of its infrastructures and its reputation.

Can you introduce us to the Clinique de Genolier and tell us what its strengths are?
The Clinique de Genolier is the flagship institution of the Swiss Medical Network. It has 120 beds and about 170 doctors are accredited, all at the forefront in their field. In addition to digestive and oncology surgery, the Clinique de Genolier includes a large number of specialties. It houses a renowned multidisciplinary oncology department and the Institute of Radiation Oncology which is among the most modern in Europe. In particular, it offers intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT), particularly for certain cases of breast cancer and other specific cases of retroperitoneal sarcomas that I operate. The Clinic also has an exceptional radiology department, providing 24-hour emergencies. A new PET-CT has been installed this year. Less irradiant, more accurate and faster, it also allows for examinations on neuroendocrine tumors. The opening of the Clinic to the outside and the quality of the follow-up of the patients are some of the establishment's strong points.

What are the latest advances in oncology?
Most intestinal tumors can now be treated by laparoscopic surgery with much faster recovery. This minimally invasive approach also allows a significant reduction in the number of parietal complications. The combination of therapies with the introduction of preoperative treatments, such as radio-chemotherapy in certain digestive cancers, represents a major advance in oncology. In selected cases, conventional radiotherapy can also be combined with contact radiotherapy directly on the tumor. The Clinique de Genolier is the only establishment in Switzerland to have this equipment.

What are Clinique de Genolier's latest news?
It is essential to note a new cardiac catheterization room, with the possibility of carrying out chemoembolisations and radioembolisations thanks to an exceptional image quality. The Clinic also has the new Da Vinci Xi robot used in obesity surgery, urological surgery and in some cases of gynecological and digestive surgery.
The gastroenterology department has just doubled its capacity and the Clinique de Genolier will also expand the structure of its ambulatory center. In parallel with its customer retention and the development of its loco-regional patient groups, the Clinique de Genolier reinforces its international reputation acquired over the years by the quality of care, hospitality, accommodation and infrastructure. For some visitors, this establishment and the services it offers are unique in the world.