An interview with Prof. Dr. med. Vinodh Kakkassery, Chief Physician at Chemnitz Hospital
KAKS is courageous and that is what makes it special
Talking to this man is not that easy.
Like all doctors, Professor Vinodh Kakkassery is not just a busy man, as the Americans would say; no, he is a busy man in medicine.
A specialist in ophthalmology, head physician at Chemnitz Hospital, trainer of junior medical staff, scientist in the field of tumor research.
Kakkassery’s day starts at half past six in the morning and ends at half past ten in the evening – for medicine.
Or as he will make clear to us in the course of the interview: for people.
And therefore also for our RB families.
KAKS: Professor, we don’t want to test you early in the day, but we will give you the following quote: The guiding principle in the treatment of the sick: always have two things in mind: benefit or at least do no harm.
Do you know who that goes back to?
Kakkassery (laughs): I haven’t consciously come across that quote yet. But I can guess what you’re getting at. But it feels like we’ve already moved on in terms of medical ethics…. .
KAKS: As a doctor, do you have a guiding principle?
Kakkassery: Let me put it this way: doctors focus on medicine.
The doctor, however, focuses on the person with organ disease.
The patient comes to us in the clinic or practice and after seeing the doctor, they feel better.
Of course, this also includes good medicine.
This thought guides me.
KAKS: Does this also apply to retinoblastoma?
Kakkassery: Few things are more frightening than sharing this disease.
Few things cause more suffering.
The child is basically unaware of the bad news, but it is dramatic for the parents.
Once a diagnosis has been made, there is often a kind of fundamental benefit for the patient – namely through treatment, e.g. surgery.
In the case of RB, it’s very different in human terms; there’s the loss of the eye, there’s the chemo and all the suffering that comes with it.
Very striking.
Very stressful.
As a doctor, I am challenged and also take negative energy with me.
KAKS: Her account will touch our RB parents deeply and remind them of their own history.
The young Vinodh Kakkassery will not have been aware of this suffering when he chose ophthalmology.
Why did you choose this specialty?
Kakkassery: The honest answer is that I didn’t want to study medicine, I was actually interested in mathematics and physics.
But then, thanks to my parents’ advice, I ended up studying medicine – and eventually ophthalmology.
A clear, straightforward, physical and surgical field.
Vision – one of the classic, central senses that we humans have.
KAKS: What is so fascinating about the eye?
Kakkassery: The structure.
The construction.
The idea of what the eye gives us humans.
We make visual decisions every day of our lives, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously.
KAKS: You have just emphasized once again – and understandably so for us – the burden on RB patients.
Have you learned anything about this as a doctor in the course of your career?
Kakkassery: Yes and no.
Every doctor will and must learn throughout their life.
And doctors also experience an often underestimated negative burden in everyday clinical practice, especially in the treatment of retinoblastoma.
There are still no opportunities for young doctors to develop their skills in this area.
You need a good ability to reflect – about the patient, the situation and the task you have in it.
And what it does to you and how you deal with it.
KAKS: What is your guiding principle here?
Kakkassery: One of my main tasks is to listen to the suffering of patients and affected families.
The supervision I do with myself or other colleagues can help me to resolve conflicts, understand issues better, improve the quality of my work or develop new problem-solving skills – without being guided by emotions alone.
KAKS: You research, teach and treat.
We can guess, but what is your priority?
Kakkassery: Clearly, medical work is of the utmost importance.
Research is also very important.
Teaching is also very important and, in my view, is unfortunately currently being neglected a little.
I would like to change that in the future.
After all, medical science means passing on the art of medicine from the experienced to the younger generation.
KAKS: People want to believe you.
But how you integrate this into your busy working day remains your secret.
Back to research: what are you currently working on?
Kakkassery: I would like to highlight two projects here.
One is a grant from your Children’s Eye Cancer Foundation, which is intended to provide the basis for submitting an application to the DFG (German Research Foundation, editor’s note).
And the other is a multi-center study that has been running for two years to improve the diagnosis of lymphoma, which is being funded by German Cancer Aid.
KAKS: You will not be surprised that we want to know more about your RB research.
Please explain your research objective.
Kakkassery: Among other things, we want to find out why some RB cells do not respond to eye-preserving therapies.
We want to re-sensitize the tumour so that it responds better to therapy – especially radiotherapy – and so that no secondary damage occurs to the child.
We use a cell model to simulate this situation.
KAKS: It sounds complicated.
What did you find out?
Kakkassery: So far, we have discovered that certain cell surface properties and lipid messengers play a role.
In the next step, the aim is to modulate these properties and messenger substances and then use this model to make the therapy successful again.
KAKS: We are a small, creative foundation with budget resources that are not comparable to those of large foundations.
Does that make a difference to you – and how would you describe it?
Kakkassery: Rationally speaking, you get funding to do research.
Of course, there are the big budgets as I just mentioned, but a lot can also be achieved with somewhat smaller amounts of funding.
It’s an important boost to be able to qualify for the big foundations.
It’s a leverage effect.
I can work and research with it.
It’s just as important that I experience appreciation and support.
That reflects in my soul and outwards for further applications for third-party funding.
I am very grateful for both.
KAKS: Professor, you bring us to the last question, and it’s a rather vain one.
What do you think of KAKS?
Kakkassery (laughs again): Good.
Exciting.
Courageous.
Perhaps the latter is what makes your foundation so special.
I see the courage of KAKS to believe in research, to invest in retinoblastoma research.
To invest money, time and love.
Research and medicine are often far removed from people, alien, incomprehensible.
KAKS goes right into this.
The clinic and the patient’s perspective, combining the one with the other.
KAKS helps to strengthen this idea and also helps me to broaden my perspective.
And I like that.
KAKS: Thank you for your time and the interview.
And we wish you a successful KAKS RB research project and every success in patient care.
By the way: The quote at the beginning of the conversation goes back to Hippocrates (Greek physician, 460 BC, Kos)