Established in Via Venezian 1, Milan 20133 (Italy). VAT number: IT04376350155.
Fondazione Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy (INT) is the largest comprehensive cáncer centre in Italy. Since its establishment (1928), it has aimed to provide the highest standards of cancer care and to pursue preclinical and clinical research in such a way as to swiftly translate innovation into better prevention, diagnosis, therapy and rehabilitation for Italian cáncer patients. INT has a long-standing record on rare cancers, serving as one of the Italian reference centers for several rare cancers, including childhood cancers, sarcomas, head & neck cancers, peritoneal and pleural mesothelioma and thymoma, neuroendocrine tumors, male genital tumors, rare female genital cancers, lymphomas and myeloma. INT coordinates the Italian Rare Cancer Network, i.e., a healthcare national network exploiting telemedicine for distant rare cancer case-sharing between reference centers and medical oncology facilities.
Description of the department contributing to the execution of the project
Medical Oncology Unit 2 (“Mesenchymal adult tumors & Rare cancers”) is a medical oncology facility exclusively devoted to a family of adult rare solid cancers, i.e., sarcomas. This Unit coordinates the Italian Rare Cancer Network, and works in close collaboration with the Italian Sarcoma Group (the Italian collaborative research group on sarcomas), Rare Cancers Europe (a multi-stakeholder European effort on rare cancers), the EORTC Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group. The Unit has been actively involved in the production of clinical practice guidelines on bone and soft tissue sarcomas at a national and European level. It will also coordinate the forthcoming EU Joint Action on Rare Cancers, aiming to produce consensus-based recommendations about rare cancers to improve epidemiological surveillance, quality of healthcare, availability of clinical practice guidelines on rare cancers, innovation and patient empowerment, with a view to the implementation of the new European reference Networks on rare cancers. INT is a reference center in sarcoma within the European Reference Network (ERN) EURACAN.
Sarcoma Service is a surgical facility entirely devoted to the care of soft tissue sarcoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumors and desmoid tumors patients. It is one of the largest Surgical facilities in Europe. Every year some 1500 new patients are seen in consultation in our clinics. 400 of them are then operated at our institutions: of them some 220 are affected by soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities and trunk wall, 150 by abdominal sarcoma (including retroperitoneum, GIST and gynecological sarcoma), 30 by bone sarcoma of the trunk. In addition some 200 patients affected by desmoid tumor are regularly seen in our clinic. The Service holds an institutional prospectively maintained data base which gathers clinical and biological information on over 9000 patients affected by soft tissue sarcoma, desmoid and GIST, treated over the past 3 decades in Milan. Along with the medical ocology unit it chairs the sarcoma track of the Italian Network of Rare Cancers and the European Reference Network on adult rare canceers (EURACAN). It is involved in the board of the Italian Sarcoma Group, of the EORTC Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group, of the Italian Society of Surgical Oncology, of the European Society of Surgical Oncology, of the Society of Surgical Oncology. It is in the faculty of the new WHO Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma classification. It has initiated a large collaborative Network on retroperitoneal sarcoma (Transatlantic Australasian RetroPeritoneal Sarcoma Working Group – TARPSWG), which involves over 50 institutions worldwide. It chairs the European School of Soft Tissue Sarcoma Surgery of the European Society of Surgical Oncology. It hosts the elective rotation of Surgical Oncology fellows from Europe and North America, with a specific link with the program at the University of Toronto – Canada.
Members:
- Salvatore Provenzano, Medical Oncologist
- Paolo Giovanni Casali, Medical Oncologist
- Annalisa Trama, Epidemiologist
- Silvia Stacchiotti, Medical Oncologist
- Silvia Brich, Biologist
- Paola Collini, Pathologist
- Alessandro Gronchi, Surgical Oncologist
Established in Via Di Barbiano 1/10, Bologna 40136 (Italy). VAT number: IT00302030374.
The Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute (IOR) is the only Italian orthopedic public hospital recognized as a National Institute for Research and Health Care (IRCCS). It comprises therefore treatment and research where its high level of healthcare is the result of intense scientific research with the aim to transfer these research results into clinical practice. Its high expertise; its model of organization aimed at integration between research and treatment and the offer of high quality healthcare as well as innovative technologies in continuous evolution are the strengths that make the Rizzoli Institute one of the most clinically and scientific recognized site of excellence in orthopaedic. It is organized in Departments that group wards and healthcare services and research laboratories. The units are specialized in: treatment of tumors of the musculoskeletal system, degenerative pathologies of the hip and knee; spine pathologies, pathologies of the foot and upper limbs; sports pathologies; pediatric orthopaedic pathologies; and diagnosis and treatment of rare skeletal diseases. Musculoskeletal oncology is one of the main field of interest and excellence of the Institute. The Institute founded and chair the Italian Sarcoma Group (ISG): the Italian network that comprises all the professionals involved in treatment and research in sarcomas, committed to the study, development and share of best practices in sarcoma management. Both IOR and ISG are partner of Alliance Against Cancer (ACC) that is the Italian Minister of Health network for research and care in oncology. IOR is a reference center in sarcoma within the European Reference Network (ERN) EURACAN.
Description of the department contributing to the execution of the project
Sarcoma treatment, management and research are the main fields of interest and excellence of the Institute. About 50% of all new cases of Italian primary malignant bone tumors (and about 20% of soft tissue sarcomas) are yearly treated, in a dedicated Department of Orthopedic Oncology (40 beds), in a Department of Spine Orthopedic Oncology, and in a dedicated Department of Medical Oncology (pediatric and adult) with 13 beds, including a Transplant Unit for high dose treatments. Phase I, II and III clinical trials are regularly performed in the Institute. Regarding translational research, the Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, connected also to the Surgical Pathology Department, has an experience of more than 20 years in the field with about 30 young and senior researchers. Studies performed in the Laboratory has contributed to definition of clinical studies (i.e. IGF in Ewing and osteosarcoma, P-glycoprotein in osteosarcoma). A specific musculoskeletal biobank with more tan 7.000 frozen specimen is also available for the project, including material from the rarest neoplasms, with homogenous clinical data. Through the ISG network, founded and leaded by the Director of the Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, Dr. Piero Picci, IOR is a point of reference for the improvement of quality of the overall management and treatment of sarcoma patients by promoting and sharing the best national and international practice guidelines and expertise through all the ISG network members. On 1974 the Musculoskeletal Oncology Departments developed a specialistic educational program (The Course on Musculoskeletal Pathology) addressed to Orthopedic Surgeons, Pathologists, Radiologists, Oncologists, Radiotherapists and Basic Researcher with the aim of s to improve knowledge and competence on these pathologies, by working in multidisciplinary teams. The course is now at its XXIXth edition. The Pathology Department is the Italian reference center for the Italian Association of Pediatric Oncohematology (AIOP) for the diagnosis of pediatric tumors.
Members:
- Alberto Righi, Pathologist and Partner Leader
- Emanuela Palmerini, Medical Oncologist
- Marco Gambarotti, Pathologist
- Davide Maria Donati, Orthopedic Surgeon
- Katia Scotlandi, Biologist
- María Cristina Manara, Medical Oncologist
