A visit to the National Institute of Oncology in Gliwice

Last Wednesday, the representation of EHTIC – prof. Marek Gzik, prof. Marcin Kaczmarek and Philips – dr Hans Hofstraat, the President of Philips Research, Edwin van Rutten, Michał Grzybowski and Marcin Bruszewski, paid a unique visit to Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in Gliwice.

Why was #oncology the focal point of this call?

It is a leading cause of death worldwide and a second-leading cause of death in Poland, accounting for an estimated 27% of male and 24% of female deaths in our country.  Over the last 30 years, the number of cancer patients in Poland has doubled and, according to recent forecasts, soon it will be the leading cause of death in the country.

The meeting with prof. Krzysztof Skladowski, the Director of the National Institute of Oncology, prof. Bobek Billewicz, the Deputy Director, and their team of specialists in the field of oncology, aimed at presenting the current situation and identifying the priority needs within the prevention and precise diagnostics of cancer, as well as the treatment options available in Poland. The visitors were introduced with the impressive achievements of the clinical and research activity of the Institute. They also had an opportunity to take a short tour of the clinical facilities and learn about their most advanced diagnostic, testing, and therapeutic equipment and methods.

A great success was that we managed to identify several fields of common interest, which might make up for a starting point of promising cooperation.