Medical Oncology

Since its creation, it has experienced significant quantitative and qualitative growth in the areas of patient care, teaching and research perspective, to become a reference service in Europe thanks to a translational model in which care and research work in coordination to transfer laboratory discoveries to patients.

Cancer: a global impact disease

Although the survival rate for cancer patients improves every year, this disease has become the second leading cause of mortality worldwide, with approximately 18 million new cases diagnosed and over 9.6 million deaths a year related to tumours.

Recent studies indicate that cancer is responsible for one out of every six deaths in the world and that in the next two decades the number of new cases will increase by around 60%, reaching 29.5 million in 2040.

Activity of the Department

Cancer is an increasingly frequent illness; we offer high-quality care linked to clinical and translational research, applying the knowledge from basic research to the prevention and treatment of clinical cases. This means we can see patients from outside our catchment reference area to participate in clinical trials. We are a reference centre in all areas of clinical oncology.

Cancer is complex to diagnose and treat, making a multidisciplinary approach essential. That is why our department works to incorporate a range of professional techniques and contributions to tackle all aspects of care and integrate them into the care process. This means we can improve the care process and ensure quality. Examples of this are our genetic counselling and high-risk illness prevention clinics, among other programmes.

In accordance with the analysis and forecasts included in the latest version of the Catalan Health Plan and the Oncology Master Plan, we must bring forward priority actions in the field of oncological disease in Catalonia. Vall d'Hebron University Hospital is especially equipped to offer a comprehensive Oncology Care Plan, with different departments all working in coordination. This is possible thanks to our specialised services such as Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Clinical Haematology, surgical specialties, medical specialties, specialized nursing, Pathological Anatomy, Image Diagnostic Services and Primary Care. Our professional expertise and ability to work in collaboration are the key to fulfilling this mission.

This is why care for oncology patients is structured into processes in place for all operations, with appropriate timing based on a holistic vision of the care process. Within our department, we incorporate everything these patients need in terms of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

We base this oncological care on three central pillars: our staff, equipment and clinical research. On the one hand, we guarantee the excellence of our staff through internal training programmes in the field of hospital care, as well as establishing collaboration and training exchanges with other renowned, prestigious centres. On the other hand, we offer the latest equipment and carry out clinical, translational and basic research.

We are working to incorporate primary care into the network of oncology treatment at the Hospital, as we believe holistic care in oncology requires incorporation and coordination of all the different healthcare areas involved in treating patients. Here are some details of the department's activity in 2021:

The Medical Oncology Department at Vall d’Hebron Hospital was a pioneer in Spain in opting for clinical trials to offer patients new therapeutic options and develop more targeted drugs. Thanks to the Molecular Cancer Therapy Research Unit (UITM) - CaixaResearch, it has contributed to the approval of over 40 drugs that have improved survival in cancer and the quality of life of many patients. In the last five years the number of active clinical trials has doubled. In other words, they have increased by over 100%.

Research

The Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) is a reference centre in personalised medicine in oncology. Thanks to its pioneering multidisciplinary and translational research model and its participation in consortiums and projects with other prestigious centres around the world, it has positioned itself as one of the most important integral centres in Europe able to transform, in record time, the latest discoveries from research in the laboratory into early clinical trials and, therefore, new opportunities for patients.

During the last decade, innovative discoveries have been made at the molecular base of cancer, which has contributed to discovering new, more effective treatments. VHIO has played a decisive role in many of these discoveries.

Immunotherapy, Big Data, artificial intelligence, microbiome or the development of sophisticated preclinical models, such as PDX - xenografts from patients, including humanistics- and organoids, or the early development of drugs are some lines in which VHIO has focussed its projects in recent years.

The challenge is to continue making progress in research to improve results and ensure that all cancer patients have access to targeted therapies such as molecular therapies or immunotherapies, in addition to standard treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. To this end, VHIO has the support of its Board of Trustees, made up of the Government of Catalonia, the Cellex Foundation, the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, the BBVA Foundation and the FERO Foundation, plus the donations and subsidies it receives from individuals, associations and other institutions.

In 2021, 446 publications were produced by researchers indexed and signed by VHIO authors. These had an average impact factor of 13.69% and 74% were first quartile publications.