The University of Pittsburg Medical Center (UPMC) recently announced the opening of a new radiotherapy center in Villa Maria, Italy, which will become part of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center network when it opens to patients later this year.
The new center, named the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at Villa Maria, follows the model of the UPMC San Pietro FBF Advanced Radiotherapy Center in Rome, the first UPMC cancer center to open in Italy 5 years ago.
Chuck Bogosta
“This new addition to our top-notch health-care facilities in Italy builds on our mission of providing world-class care for patients close to home,” said Chuck Bogosta, President of UPMC International and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. “This advanced radiotherapy center at Villa Maria will make high-quality cancer care far more accessible to patients, with both public and private insurance, throughout central and southern Italy.”
When it becomes fully operational later this year, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at Villa Maria will offer intensity-modulated radiation therapy and image-guided radiation therapy, as well as stereotactic radiation treatments for difficult-to-reach tumors. The new center is adjacent to the private hospital Villa Maria and leases space from the hospital, which is accredited by the national health-care system and provides a wide range of clinical services.
In addition to recruiting 15 full-time professionals, including radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists, and nursing and administrative staff, the radiotherapy center will be part of a UPMC telemedicine program, which will enable daily exchanges with UPMC cancer experts in Pittsburgh and at UPMC facilities in Italy and Ireland. ■
