Professor Roberto Orecchia, Scientific Director of the European Institute of Oncology and professor at the University of Milan, will be the first Italian to receive the Regaud prize by the ESTRO, the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology for "the great contribution in oncology, both in Europe and in the world community".
The ceremonial presentation of the award will take place during the European Cancer Congress (ECCO-ESMO, from 25th to 29th of September in Vienna), the Congress organized by the major scientific societies of Europe, which brings together leading European cancer experts of all disciplines.
"I am proud to receive the Regaud Medal - commented Orecchia – and not only on a personal level. This scientifically important award makes recognizable the excellence of Italian medicine and in particular the European Institute of Oncology. In my twenty years at IEO as a Director of Radiation Therapy Division, I have been able to develop new technologies and at the same time to develop a new ways to accept and to treat cancer patients, based on a multidisciplinary approach. The "patient centered" principle of IEO is applied extensively: the different specialists revolve around the patient to find together what is the best treatment for him. This systematic exchange of ideas has been so productive that it has made IEO a point of reference for innovation in oncology. Among our numerous examples, I cite one that is close to my heart: our Center for Advanced Radiation Therapy is among the first in the world for technologies, methods applied and the number of patients treated".
Roberto Orecchia is also a Scientific Director of CNAO (National Center of Radiation Oncology), one of the two centers in Europe which practices the therapy with carbon ions (hadrontherapy), a highly advanced form of radiation therapy.