Wielkopolskie Centrum Onkologii

The Greater Poland Cancer Centre is one of the largest cancer centres in Poland. Annually, around 45 000 surgical procedures are carried out and over 14 000 patients are hospitalized.

The history of The Greaterer Poland Cancer Centre begins in 1952, an outcome of the idea to institute regional cancer centres throughout Poland. The individual charged with organizing the Centre in the The Great Poland region was Doctor Czeslaw Wojnerowicz with support from radiotherapists, Doctors Irena and Stefan Skowronski.

In March of the same year a former building of the Social Insurance Company on Raczynskich Street (now Garbary Street) was chosen as the seat of the newly established Centre. The first Director of the Centre was Doctor Stefan Skowronski.

The Greater Poland Cancer Centre in 1953

At the end of the 1950's the Radiotherapy Department was extended and during the following two years the Centre changed its name on two occasions. One of the name changes was to "Specialist Oncological Health Care Centre", which was intended to highlight close cooperation between oncology health care institutions in the Wielkopolska region of Poland.

In 1975 - when Doctor Cezary Ramlau became Director - further expansion began and the number of beds was increased to 250. 15 years later two additional Departments were opened, the Anesthesiology and Intensive Care and Chemotherapy departments.

The Greaterer Poland Cancer Centre
south parth under construction

During the first 20 years over 500 000 patients were examined. Almost 80 000 histopathology tests and over 30 000 cytology tests were performed. About 26 000 surgical procedures were carried out and radiation treatment was applied over 500 000 times.

Doctor Aleksander Gorny became the Director In 1989 and in the following year the Centre changed its name to "The Wielkopolska Oncology Centre". Four years later, in cooperation with Poznan University of Medical Science, the Department of Diagnostic and Cancer immunology was established. A team led by Professor Andrzej Mackiewicz carries out research into the application of genetically modified melanoma vaccines..

The Greater Poland Cancer Centre- by 15 Garbary Street

In 1995 Professor Julian Malicki was appointed Director of The The Greater Poland Cancer Centre.

Professor Julian Malicki
The Director of Greater Poland Cancer Centre

In 2002 two international conferences took place. One of them, entitled Current Achievements in Oncology, was associated with the 50th anniversary of The Centre. In 2004 The Centre gained 8th place in a ranking of the best hospitals in Poland, organized by Newsweek Polska, and in 2005 was promoted to 3rd place.

In January 2005 the official opening of two Computer Tomography Units was held and in the beginning of 2006, after 5 years of building, the west wing was finished, including a new operating suite.

During the summer renovation of "Kantor Cegielskiego" was completed and administrative employees were moved. At the end of the year the winter garden was finished. The most important event of the year for The The Great Poland Cancer Centre was the organization of the 2nd Congress of Oncology, which was attended by about 1500 people.

Wintergarden

In 2007 the Department of Head and Neck Surgery and Laryngological-Oncology was officially opened.