The Lymphoma Unit headed by Dr. Emanuele Zucca, is dedicated to the treatment of neoplasms of the lymphatic system. A team of experienced physicians ensures the rapid treatment, examinations for the initial staging of lymphoma, and initiation of the most appropriate therapy.
In addition to clinical and didactic activities for attending physicians in haematology and medical oncology, a fundamental aspect of the activities of the Lymphoma Unit at IOSI is represented by clinical research, mainly aimed at the management of therapeutic protocols, which have the purpose of evaluating innovative therapies in the field of lymphomas. In addition to the traditional commitment to the continuous improvement of standard therapies, since 2012, the Lymphoma Unit, in collaboration with the New Drugs Unit of the IOSI, has activated a research group dedicated to the development and management of phase I studies specific for lymphoma patients. The main objective of these studies is to assess the tolerability and safety of new drugs, often never before tested in humans.
The IOSI is the only Swiss centre that uses a database (which so far has more than two thousand cases treated in the last thirty years at our institute) to collect, in an anonymous form, the clinical and pathological data of lymphoma patients. This tool is of great importance both for the participation in international research projects and for the continuous comparison ("audit") of our clinical results with those published by the main international oncology centres.
The Lymphoma Unit of IOSI is part of a network of collaborations both with internal structures of the Cantonal Hospital and with external national and international structures, including the Oncological Research Institute (IOR), the Swiss Cancer Research Group (SAKK) and international collaborative institutes and groups.
In this context, since 1997, the International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group, an international research group that brings together researchers from all continents, has been coordinated by the Bellinzona centre. In just a few years, the IELSG has built up a solid international scientific reputation, thanks to a large number of publications in the main onco-haematological journals.