SCIENTIFIC REPORT 2010 - 2011 - IOV

The IRCCS Istituto Oncologico Veneto (Veneto Oncology
Institute - IOV) was established in December 2005, after obtaining
recognition of its scientific character from the Italian Health
Ministry; following a site visit in 2008, this qualification was
confirmed by the Ministry. The Institute has a juridical personality,
and it is subordinate to both Veneto Regional Authorities and the
Ministry of Health. The IOV is the only Cancer Center in the
Veneto region; it participates in the Italian network of Cancer
Institutes (Alliance Against Cancer), which includes the Italian
Cancer Centers under the patronage of the Istituto Superiore di
Sanità in Rome. Since January 2009, the IOV is a member of the
Organization of European Cancer Centers (OECI), that includes
over 70 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in Europe.
The IOV stems from a long tradition of excellence
in Oncology, which was first recognized in 1989 by the
establishment of the Regional Oncology Center (COR) in Padova.
The activity of COR was mainly devoted to fostering interactions
among epidemiologists, clinicians and basic researchers in the
field of Oncology, and to create a multidisciplinary approach
to face the new frontiers of information on cancer genetics and
biology. This strict collaboration among professionals involved
in different areas of Oncology anticipated the modern concept
of “translational medicine”, now considered as a strategic field
within evidence-based medicine.
The Institute
THE INSTITUTE
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Moreover, the IOV is a true Comprehensive Cancer Center,
since it integrates in its mission clinical activity, research and
education: the IOV offers, in fact, preventive, curative and palliative
services to the population, and it combines this fundamental
mission with a constant research activity on several different
aspects of cancer, as well as maintaining a special commitment
to educational issues, in strict collaboration with the Faculty of
Medicine of the Padova University. The IOV is located in Padova in
close proximity to the University Hospital, within an area known
as “Ospedale Busonera”, a hospital that was established in 1932
and was formerly dedicated to the care of tuberculosis patients.
For this reason, the Ospedale Busonera is embedded in a park
of about 40,000 square meters, populated by a collection of rare
and magnificent trees, whose balsamic properties were thought
to aid the recovery of tuberculosis patients; according to a recent
agreement with the mayor of Padova, this park will soon be
fully restored, and its beautiful environs shared by our patients
and the general public. Because of its peculiar architectural
characteristics, the major body of the hospital (recently flanked
by a modern laboratory building) is under the patronage of the
Artistic Superintendence of the Veneto Region; despite the great
attention to our needs and the generous collaboration provided
by this Authority, any refurbishment of the structures is complex
and difficult.