Presentation of the Centre

The National Institute of Oncology (NIO), established In 1936 under the name of Eötvös Lóránd Radiology and X-ray Institute, over the years has become the hub of Hungarian oncology and today NIO treats approximately 16 000 patients. NIO coordinates and develops the National Cancer Control Programme, houses the National Cancer Registry, organizes the Hungarian National Cancer Control Program and coordinates the Hungarian Oncology Network. Annually NIO has an extended international network with partners in 5 continents, participates in numerous European initiatives, and is a member of most major EU and international organizations.

Main Research Activities

NIO’s multidisciplinary research platform covers the areas of clinical, translational, and basic research. We have 5 dedicated research departments, along with several clinical and diagnostic departments actively involved in research activities and supported by the Institute as well as by external funding from international, EU and Hungarian grants. There are currently over 100 running investigator-initiated, EORTC, IBCSG or company sponsored clinical trials (phase I-IV) at NIO. In 2023, the total impact factor of the research papers published by the institute's clinicians and researchers was 1460.1.

Core Facilities

Research: Oncology Biobank Centre
Next Generation Sequencing facility: Illumina NovaSeq 6000; NextSeq 550Dx, MiSeq System
Complex molecular pathology department: Genexus Systems, fully automatized work flow
Mass spectrometry: Thermo Scientific Q Exactive Focus Orbitrap, LTQ XL linear ion trap and Orbitrap Exploris 240 mass spectrometers
Confocal microscope: NIKON Eclipse 80i C1 confocal microscope
Flow cytometry: Beckman Coulter Cell Lab Quanta SC, CytoFlex SRT and Cytek Northern Lights flow cytometers
DNA chip and high throughput protein expression profile analyzer
Animal House at Special Pathogen Free level: breeding BALB/c, C57Bl/6, BDF-1, DBA2 and immunodeficient mice, license from Jackson Laboratory to use NSG immunodeficient mice

Clinical: DaVinci X and DaVinci Xi robotic surgical systems
X-Ray devices:
GE DISCOVERY XR656 HD
GE Optima XR220
Solution For Tomorrow AB
Carestream CS9600 Cone Beam CT
4 CT scanners:
Siemens SOMATOM DEFINITION (64 slices) CT
GE REVOLUTION Evo (128 slices) CT
Siemens Somatom Go topometric CT
GE Optima topometric CT
3T MRI facility with spectroscopy: Siemens Magnetom Lumina 3T
Siemens Magnetom Free.Max MR 0,55 Tesla for brachytherapy planning
Mediso Nucline AP gamma camera
Mediso Anyscan SP two headed SPECT-CT
Mediso Anyscan SP TRIO three headed SPECT-CT
2 mammography facilities: Siemens Mammomat Relevation, GE Senographe Essential
Interventional radiology unit: Siemens AXIOM ARTIS ZEE FLOOR MN
6 conventional radiation therapy accelerators with IMRT / IGRT / stereotactic system (the latter with 5 machines)
1 Cyberknife
Brachytherapy
Laser surgery facility
Full range endoscopic surgery facility
Central pharmacy
Clinical research unit

Education

NIO is a department of Semmelweis University of Medicine and the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Târgu Mures. We also host the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Semmelweis University and we are involved in the education of graduate students and we organise courses for medical doctors, researchers and nurses in various fields of oncology, laboratory medicine, genetics, pathology. PhD students are also supervised by our senior colleagues. NIO regularly organises patient education courses throughout the year. Postgraduate training in oncology was first developed at the NIO and the majority of the specialist exams are still taken here today. The Institute is also taking a leadership role in robotic surgery training in the CEE region. Our professors are accredited and highly engaged in graduate and postgraduate teaching activities at the Universities of Pécs, Debrecen and Szeged. We produced fundamental textbooks that are used nationwide.