Department of Oncology and Haematology

The Department of Haematology is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of haematological malignancies in adults, solid and haematological malignancies in children, and transfusion medicine. The department comprises the inpatient wards and outpatient clinics for haematology and paediatric oncohaematology, the Day Hospital with outpatient clinics for Supportive Care for Cancer Patients, the haematology laboratory, the laboratory for the manipulation and cryopreservation of haematopoietic stem cells, and the transfusion centre, which includes the donor centre, the apheresis centre, the HLA typing laboratory and the virology laboratory.

The Department of Medical Oncology coordinates clinical care and research relating to the treatment of solid tumours in adults. The organisational structure ensures the highest quality of care for patients whilst maintaining opportunities for professional exchange and development for doctors, nurses and biologists.

The continuous and rapid evolution of knowledge requires, in fact, that patients are cared for by doctors specialising in specific conditions to ensure that decisions are consistently appropriate. Collaboration within a departmental structure facilitates a process of ongoing discussion regarding innovation in therapeutic strategies.

The development of new drugs for the treatment of cancer is one of the research areas in which our Department is most actively involved and competitive, both nationally and internationally. For this reason, clinical and basic research go hand in hand with the aim of ensuring the best treatment strategy and/or access to innovative drugs, including within the context of clinical trials.

All decisions regarding diagnostic and therapeutic pathways are made during multidisciplinary meetings with other specialists. The concept of ‘therapeutic strategy’ guides clinical decisions; consequently, our Department actively collaborates with the Departments of Surgery, Radiodiagnostics and Radiotherapy, Haematology, Pathology, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, and Palliative Care. Research programmes are also developed in collaboration with the Departments of Experimental Oncology and Molecular Medicine, and with the Department of Predictive Medicine and Prevention.