The prestigious science magazine NATURE publishes the first work signed by a team from the European Institute of Oncology. Researchers discover that a natural substance, retinoic acid, can block the mechanisms of action of leukaemia cells, restoring their normal function. Thus, the first “ molecular drug” is created.

Through the initiative of the Italian Cancer Research Foundation, the Institute FIRC Molecular Oncology (IFOM) project is started, of which the IEO is the main promoter. This research body is unique in both its conceptual and organisational set-up. It is established as a powerful centralised technological infrastructure to permit research groups from various Italian scientific organisations to use equipment and techniques that would otherwise be inaccessible on an individual basis, due to their high cost and the specialised skills they require.

LANCET publishes an article that marks the introduction to clinical practice of a new technique for treating breast cancer, perfected by the European Institute of Oncology. The “sentinel node biopsy” proves to be a safe method that permits the removal of axillary lymph nodes only when strictly necessary, thus avoiding the harmful and futile dissection being practiced systematically. “We have perfected this highly valuable method for women thanks to the effective collaboration of the Breast Division, Nuclear Medicine and Pathological Anatomy,” comments Veronesi. The organisational model of the IEO, focusing on the integration of all fields of research, treatment and management, starts to yield results.

Based on a comparison with the most advanced international models, the “Pain-free Hospital” project is set up at the Institute. With the participation of doctors and nurses, the IEO sets up an in-house intervention programme, in which pain is a parameter to be monitored regularly and kept under control.