Presentation of the Centre
The University Clinic for Radiotherapy and Oncology (UCRO) in Skopje is North Macedonia’s main public institution for comprehensive cancer care and its only public radiotherapy centre. As a tertiary referral and university teaching centre, UCRO provides inpatient care, systemic treatment, external-beam and stereotactic radiotherapy, brachytherapy, supportive care and follow-up. Each year, UCRO manages approximately 20 000 patients annually, delivers approximately 45,000 radiotherapy fractions and administers nearly 39,000 applications of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy and other specific oncological treatments.
Main Research Activities
Research focuses on improving outcomes and access to modern cancer care. Activities include real-world evaluation of targeted therapies and immunotherapy, treatment toxicity, molecular profiling, biomarkers, cancer registries, radiotherapy optimisation and implementation of international guidelines. Multidisciplinary and molecular tumour boards support personalised decisions and translate evidence into practice. Clinic is research site of many multicentric clinical studies supported by different organisations.
Core Facilities
Core facilities include four linear accelerators for 3D conformal radiotherapy, IMRT, VMAT, image-guided and stereotactic treatments; a dedicated CT simulator; an HDR brachytherapy unit; inpatient wards; a high-volume day hospital; outpatient clinics; a hospital pharmacy; and medical physics and treatment-planning services.
Education
As a teaching base of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University Faculty of Medicine, UCRO provides undergraduate education, specialist training, clinical placements for nurses and radiological technologists, and continuing professional development. It hosts multidisciplinary meetings and professional courses and supports international oncology collaboration.