High-tech innovations for cancer treatment at the Fréjus hospital center

More than three million euros were needed for the success of this major project, which the intercommunal hospital center has been working on for several years in order to provide even better treatment for cancer patients.

A brand new building has just been built, housing high-tech equipment designed to improve the preparation of chemotherapy treatments.

This ^300m2 "Cytotoxic Reconstitution Unit", created as an extension of the pharmacy and connected to it, houses two new isolators, bacteriologically sealed containment spaces used for aseptic distribution and toxic processes, guaranteeing the safety of personnel and products.

A "clean room" that the director of the Fréjus Saint-Raphaël and Saint-Tropez hospitals, Frédéric Limouzy, was particularly pleased to see come to fruition, along with his teams, for the needs of the region's population.

Because the number of chemotherapy treatments has been constantly increasing at the Fréjus hospital, more than 10% per year, for several years.

15,000 chemo bags produced per year

"From a single isolator, we are moving to two dual-station isolators that meet the latest standards, equipped with a Drugcam® video assistance and artificial intelligence system, in order to secure the control of preparations and increase capacity," explained the director, who also hopes to acquire a PET scan. "And we have sized the building to be able to install a third isolator. All of the production premises are pressurized with controlled air quality. We are acquiring a quality tool, in line with the dynamics of our nuclear medicine, that meets the needs of our institution, staff, and patients, as we have 7,420 chemotherapy patient visits, with a huge turnover rate for the day hospital of 188%. We carry out preparations for the Fréjus hospital but also for the Saint-Tropez hospital, and we will also be able to do those for the home hospital, the "HAD" attached to our oncology department, which we want to develop for more patient comfort."

" Our hospital has a strong oncology and cancer care sector, from detection to treatment and supportive care, with 35,176 scintigraphy procedures in 2024. The pharmacy has ISO 9001 certified its sterilization production process: more than 35,600 compositions were sterilized in 2024, accompanying the very high activity of the operating room , underlined Frédéric Limouzy . It must be said that we have a particularly efficient team of pharmacists and technicians who produce 15,000 chemotherapy bags per year. It is also the professionals who chose the architecture and equipment for good working conditions."

"A new dimension in cancer treatment in Var-Est"

Doctors Émilie Bausset and Flora Roudière, heads of the cancer unit, managed the project, under the direction of Doctor Sabine Raetz, head of the "Transversal Medical Activities" unit, with Doctor Bruno Valenza, head of the oncology unit.

"This is an important public health initiative that gives meaning to our actions and decisions," the director said. "We are paving the way for a new dimension in cancer treatment for our Var-Est region."