During the meeting, in addition to the results, the activities of the Comprehensive Cancer Center were highlighted. According to statistics, approximately 1 in 5 patients comes from outside Lazio, confirming its status as one of the leading healthcare providers in the country for cancer treatment and research. Specifically, 22.4% of the patients treated come from outside the region, drawing from both Northern and Southern Italy.
The presentation, led by Professor Giampaolo Tortora, Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC), along with Daniele Piacentini, General Director of the Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli IRCCS, and Professor Antonio Gasbarrini, Scientific Director of the Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli IRCCS, also included participation from the President of the Lazio Region, Francesco Rocca, the President of the Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli, Daniele Franco, and the Rector of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Elena Beccalli.
“With the design and opening of this Center in 2019, we aimed to create a ‘Home that Heals,’ where cutting-edge technology converges with the highest professional competencies and coexists with human warmth and environmental beauty. We want to treat and care for each of the over 60,000 individuals who trust us every year,” stated Piacentini.
“The outcomes from the Comprehensive Cancer Center illustrate a genuine transformation: we are beginning to rewrite the natural history of even the most unfavorable prognosis cancers, such as those of the pancreas, lung, ovary, and certain brain tumors like glioblastoma. Thanks to innovative therapies and intense clinical trial activities at phases 1, 2, and 3, we provide patients increasingly early access to the future of medicine. This evolution also impacts onco-hematology, where advanced cellular therapies like CAR-T are opening previously unimaginable scenarios, albeit requiring high competence in managing risks and toxicities,” added Gasbarrini.
The growth is homogeneous across all sectors of the center’s oncological activities. A distinctive feature of the CCC at Gemelli is the intensive work of its 24 interdisciplinary oncological groups (Tumor Boards), which meet once or even twice a week. This organizational model allows for collegial discussions of clinical cases, ensuring patients receive increasingly personalized and appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic pathways. The quality of care is enhanced by a strong scientific vocation, with clinical activities proceeding in close synergy with research.
“Currently, there are over 350 active clinical trials in oncology, about 300 of which are for profit and 50 non-profit, illustrating the excellence of the research conducted at the center. Oncology is also one of the six strategic thematic areas of the Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli IRCCS,” emphasized Tortora.
In 2025, a total of 64,435 oncological patients were treated across the various domains of the CCC, accounting for over 60% of the entire activity of the Policlinico Gemelli. Key activity indicators include: 55,713 infusional anticancer therapies performed, 21,515 oncological hospitalizations, 19,458 oncological surgeries, 4,238 patients treated with radiotherapy, 737,228 outpatient services provided, and 18,720 initial consultations and psycho-oncological assessments.
“These are extraordinary results, the outcome of the extensive work and clinical and scientific capability at Gemelli,” noted Rocca. “There is a strong desire to collaborate and continue to grow together.”
According to Rector Beccalli: “The Cancer Center is an outstanding project for the Università Cattolica as it aligns perfectly with Policlinico Gemelli, enabling us to integrate research and care with attention to the individual and their dignity, making advanced oncological treatments accessible to all.”
The president of the Foundation, Daniele Franco, also highlighted the “connection between care and research that exists within the Cancer Center. This facility supports tens of thousands of people during a very challenging time in their lives, and it is essential that this is done in the best possible way while maintaining a focus on human relationships. I believe that for Policlinico Gemelli, this is one of the pillars of its operations.”
– photo xl5/Italpress –
