parallax background
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ONCOLOGY

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

For over half a century, the National Institute of Oncology has been the center of epidemiological, organizational, methodological, therapeutic, research and educational development of Hungarian oncology. It is comparable with any national oncology institute in any country, with the only compassive cancer center in Hungary and the surrounding countries, with excellent international recognition and a patient satisfaction rate above 95%. The Institute's secret is the professional excellence and human standing of its employees.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT

The International Relations Department participates in various activities conducted at the National Institute of Oncology (NIO) including coordination of EU projects under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Csaba Polgár, Director General; management of collaboration with international organizations; and coordination of bilateral cooperation with partner organizations. The Institute has a wide array of international collaborations on five continents and is a member of the largest European and international cancer societies. We continue to monitor calls for grant proposals and also make significant contribution to drafting the applications. Other activities of the department include translation of various documents on an institutional level and making travel arrangements for our colleagues traveling abroad.

Prof. Péter Nagy

Scientific Director

CV
Edit Marosi

Head of Department

CV

Contact

The International Relations Department is located in Building 16 in rooms 109 and 110. Phone: +36-1-224-8600

Extensions:

Prof. Péter NAGY: 2170
Edit MAROSI: 1524 or: +36-1-224-8766
Míra BALKAY: 1554
Réka BÁLINT: 2119
Réka FELHŐ: 1110
Beáta UNGOR: 3794
E-mail: nko@oncol.hu

ONGOING EU PROJECTS

INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP FOR ACTION AGAINST CANCER (iPAAC) (2018-2021)

The Innovative Partnership for Action Against Cancer Joint Action (iPAAC JA) brings together 44 partners (Competent Authorities and Affiliated Entities) from 24 European countries and will be coordinated by the National Institute of Public Health, Slovenia (NIJZ).

iPAAC objectives

The general objective of the iPAAC Joint Action (JA) is to develop innovative approaches to advances in cancer control. The innovation that will be covered within the JA consists of further development of cancer prevention, comprehensive approaches to the use of genomics in cancer control, enhancing cancer information and registries, improvements and challenges in cancer care, anticipation of challenges with innovative cancer treatments and governance of integrated cancer control, including a new analysis of national cancer control plans.

Target groups

The primary target group of the iPAAC Joint Action will be EU-level policymakers and decision makers at national, regional and local level. All of the innovative actions covered by the JA work packages will be assessed on the basis of sustainability and integration into national policies. The key focus of the Joint Action will therefore be on implementation, as reflected in the key deliverable, i.e. the Roadmap on Implementation and Sustainability of Cancer Control Actions, which will support Member States in the implementation of iPAAC and CANCON recommendations.

iPAAC outcomes

1. Support for Member States in implementing recommendations from the CANCON Joint Action at national, regional and local levels. The Roadmap will focus on a number of intersecting issues, which occur in different topics represented by both previous CANCON Work Packages and current iPAAC Work Packages. The Roadmap will thus provide an integrated summarised strategic tool on several important aspects in cancer control, which are of particular relevance to policymakers.

2. Reinforcing of cancer prevention through further developing current recommendations for quality cancer screening and a sound assessment of new potential that might exist, through evaluating harms and benefits of population-based programmes. With focus on inequalities, further strengthening the European Code Against Cancer by policy implementation. Assessment of how the activities in the field of genomics continuously contribute to cancer control.

3. Providing better efficacy for dealing with neglected cancers through development of new key indicators to assess clinical patient pathways and health care related costs of cancer and its interventions, particularly in the case of pancreatic cancer.

4. Supporting the introduction of immunotherapies into clinical practice through a comprehensive assessment of their main challenges.

5. Evaluation of cancer care in European countries through an assessment of quality indicators.

6. Support for policymakers in the field of governance, including pilot comprehensive cancer care networks and an updated analysis of national cancer control programmes in the EU.

7. Support evidence-based cancer care by enhancing population-based information systems. Piloting the integration of registries with electronic health and administrative data to assess quality of care, costs and outcomes. Promoting the use of informative indicators on cancer prevalence at EU level.

The iPAAC Joint Action has received funding from the European Union’s Third Health Programme (2014–2020). It has officially started on 1 April 2018 and it will last for three years. More information about the iPAAC Joint Action can be obtained by visiting the official website (www.ipaac.eu) or by contacting the Coordination Team: ipaac@nijz.si

CHRODIS PLUS JOINT ACTION – IMPLEMENTING GOOD PRACTICES FOR CHRONIC DISEASES (2017-2020)

CHRODIS PLUS is a three-year initiative (2017-2020) led by the Institute of Health Carlos III from Spain and is being funded by the European Commission and the participating parties.

Joint Actions involve on average 25 partners, depending on the scope of the action. This joint action involves representatives of the 42 participant institutions – from 18 EU countries plus Norway, Serbia and Iceland. Europe is paying a heavy price for chronic diseases: it has been estimated that chronic diseases cost EU economies 115 billion € or 0.8% of GDP annually. Approximately 70% to 80% of health care budgets across the EU are spent on treating chronic diseases. CHRODIS PLUS during its 36 months of operation will contribute to the reduction of this burden by promoting the implementation of policies and practices with demonstrated success.

Reducing the burden of chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and mental disorders is a priority of EU Member States and at the EU Policy level, since they affect 8 out of 10 people aged over 65 in Europe. There is great potential to reduce the burden of chronic disease by making better use of this knowledge.

Our Institute is an active part in the work packages WP2 (Dissemination) and WP5 (Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, HPDP) of this project which was landed on 1 September 2017 with an extent of 36 months. The main objectives of the latter work package are:
• To improve countries’ approach to promoting health & preventing chronic diseases through further analysis of the health promotion & disease prevention (HPDP) landscape in Europe with a specific focus on innovative approaches
• To generate learning and improve the effectiveness of HPDP through supporting small scale pilots, the scaling up and/or transfer of good practices through strengthening their adaptation and implementation
• To address and improve the intersectoral collaboration between health promotion and the broader healthcare system

INTENT – USING GUIDELINES AND BENCHMARKING TO TRIGGER SOCIAL ENTREPERNEURSHIP SOLUTIONS TOWARDS BETTER PATIENT-CENTRED CANCER CARE IN CENTRAL EUROPE (2017-2020)

The INTENT project aims to find solutions for innovative patient-centered cancer care. It targets and involves various types of actors: cancer care providers, patients and policy makers. The aim is to work with these groups to create a better understanding of how to interpret the patient-centered approach and identify ways for improving cancer care in central Europe. Beyond the activities leading to an innovative cancer care model, the project will issue policy recommendations, provide an online benchmarking tool, identify priorities for improving existing systems on local level and create a virtual know-how centre.

The centre will collect and provide good practices, benchmarking results and a pool of innovative ideas to all interested users. Tools and knowledge provided by INTENT will improve quality in cancer care and mobilise health care managers, clinicians and other staff involved. It calls for positive change and thus unlocks the innovation potential of public services.

The duration of the INTENT project is between 01.07.2017 and 06.30.2020. This project is supported by the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme funded under the European Regional Development Fund. The project has 9 partners from 4 central European countries working on 4 thematic work packages. The National Institute of Oncology in Budapest is the leader of WP3 focusing on ‘Piloting in Central European Regions’.

The INTENT poster can be downloaded HERE

The INTENT leaflet can be downloaded HERE

Call of External Evaluator

JOINT ACTION ON RARE CANCERS (JARC) (2016-2019)

The JARC project (Joint Action on Rare Cancers) was launched in October 2016. The collaboration is aimed to integrate and maximize efforts of the European Union (EU) Commission, EU Member States and all stakeholders to advance quality of care and research on rare cancers. There are 34 Associated Partners and 23 Collaborating Partners from 18 Member States involved in the project. By working together the partners wish to achieve the following:

• to prioritize rare cancers in the agenda of the EU and Member States, with a view to national cancer plans and quality of healthcare, harmonization of clinical practices, innovation through promotion of clinical and translational research;
• to facilitate the establishment of timely and correct diagnosis and to decrease health inequalities across EU countries;
• • to develop innovative and shared solutions in the areas of quality of care, research education and state of the art definition on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of rare cancers. These solutions are to be implemented through the future ERNs on rare cancers (European Reference Networks).

The project is coordinated by the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori located in Milan. The duration of the project is 36 months, its expected time of completion is the end of September 2019. Out of the 10 work packages our Institute participates in the following two: WP5 (Assuring Quality of Care) and WP6 (Clinical Practice Guidelines). The objective of WP5 is to design healthcare quality assurance systems and processes that will be added to the future ERNs. The objective of WP6 is to assess the contents of existing clinical practice guidelines on rare cancers and to provide recommendations on how to ensure the best production, dissemination and implementation of these clinical practice guidelines at a local level, as well as within the future ERNs.

PAST EU PROJECTS


COOPERATION WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION


Bilateral relations

State Budgetary Healthcare Institution «Saint-Petersburg Clinical Scientific and practical center of specialized types of medical care (oncological)», Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation

A delegation of the St. Petersburg Oncocentre visited our Institute in June 2018, for the purpose of establishing future professional cooperation. The successful initial contact was followed by mutual visits of professionals. A formal agreement between our Institutes was finalized in March 2019 in St. Petersburg.

The State Budgetary Institution of Higher Professional Education «Voronezh State Medical University named after N.N. Burdenko», Voronezh, Russian Federation

The bilateral partnership began in 2014 with the aim of strengthening cooperation between the countries in the field of health and medical education. The renewal of the cooperation agreement took place in February 2019.

Regional budgetary healthcare institution of Sverdlovsk region “Sverdlovsk Regional Oncology Centre”, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation

A delegation of health professionals visited our Institute in October 2018, to discuss the possible cooperation opportunities with the management of our Institutes. During the meeting the parties agreed to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

State Organisation «Grigoriev Medical Radiology NAMS of Ukraine», Kharkiv, Ukraine

A formal agreement was signed between the National Institute of Oncology and the State Organisation «Grigoriev Medical Radiology NAMS of Ukraine» in June 2018, for a joint non-profit scientific study to be established. The responsible coordinator from our Institute is Dr. Zoltán Novák, MD, Ph.D.; Department Head.

Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

A cooperation agreement was signed between the National Institute of Oncology and the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the aim to strengthen the relationship between the two countries, as well as to establish a professional and scientific cooperation in different areas of cancer prevention.

Oncopathology Research Centre, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

A cooperation agreement was signed between the National Institute of Oncology and Oncopathology Research Centre, Iran University of Medical Sciences with the aim to strengthen the relationship between the two countries, as well as to establish a technical and scientific cooperation in various areas of cancer research.

National Cancer Institute (NCI) – Vilnius, Lithuania

The bilateral partnership started in 2013 with a professional visit to our Institute by the Lithuanian National Cancer Institute’s senior delegation. The ceremonial signing of the cooperation agreement in the field of cancer treatment, research and education took place in 2014, in Vilnius.

Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) – Heidelberg, Germany

In 2013, within the framework of the EurocanPlatform project an Agreement for Cooperation was implemented between the German Cancer Research Centre (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum) and NIO that laid the foundation for a long-term epidemiological cooperation. The first “fruit” of this cooperation is a study entitled: “Trends in uptake and utilization of sentinel lymph node dissection among breast cancer patients – an international comparative study among EUROCAN Platform members”. Additional scientific collaborations are in place between DKFZ’s redox biology research unit and our Institute’s Molecular Immunology and Toxicology Department (MITO), which is hallmarked by several joint publications.

University of Medicine and Pharmacy – Tirgu Mureş, Romania

In 2006, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tirgu Mureş (MOGYE) received authorization from the Hungarian Accreditation Committee to establish a PhD programme in the field of medical sciences together with NIO as a co-partner. As a result, the Postgraduate Medical Faculty in Budapest was set up consisting of eight departments led by Prof. Dr. Miklós Kásler. The PhD education has been continuous since 2006, and is open for both Transylvanian and Hungarian colleagues. So far, twenty Hungarian students have earned their PhD in the programme.

Hungarian-Bavarian Intergovernmental Agreement

In 2003, under the Hungarian-Bavarian Intergovernmental Agreement our Institute’s Cancer Registry established contacts, first with the Cancer Registry in Erlangen, then in Munich and Giessen. The collaboration is still ongoing with these centres. The multiple specialist visits and continuous exchange of information between these institutions greatly contributed to the development of our Institute’s Cancer Registry. The last visit took place in 2008, when expert Dr. Imre Boncz travelled to Erlangen. Currently, the collaboration is mainly focused on the exchange of information and documentations.

Liaoning Cancer Hospital – Shenyang, China

Since 2002, within the framework of “Chinese Cooperation Agreement”, our Institute has bilateral relations with the Liaoning Cancer Hospital (Shenyang). The senior level mutual visits and presentations were the first steps of this cooperation. At first, our Institute welcomed the hospital’s top management and laid the foundation of a professional cooperation, which was further developed during our delegation’s visits to China. In 2008 and 2013, we hosted the Chinese delegation, and in 2010 and 2014, the former Director General of our Institute, Prof. Dr. Miklós Kásler and the then Deputy Director, Prof. Dr. Csaba Polgár as well as Prof. Dr. János Fodor Professor Emeritus travelled to our Chinese partners to negotiate an extension for the areas for cooperation. Currently, we are working together mainly in the field of radiation therapy. In addition to the ongoing professional exchanges, we hosted a Chinese PhD student who developed her PhD thesis at our Institute.

Other collaborations

Our Institute is in close cooperation with the National Cancer Institute and the MD Anderson Cancer Center in the United States. NIO also developed joint research projects with various American institutes in the breast and colon cancer domains. We are in close cooperation with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (since 2008), primarily in the form of expert visits, exchange of scientific results and participating in meetings. The director of the world-famous Cancer Center of the KI, Professor Dr. Ulrik Ringborg is the member of our Institute’s International Scientific Advisory Board.