DIVISION OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND BIOSTATISTICS

DIVISION OF RADIOTHERAPY, BRACHYTHERAPY UNIT and MOLECULAR IMAGING
Roberto Orecchia, MD: Director
Carlo Greco, MD: Deputy Director
Hugo Marsiglia, MD: Deputy Director and
Head of the Brachytherapy Unit
Giovanni Lucignani, MD: Director, Unit of
Molecular Imaging
Gianpiero Catalano, MD: Senior Assistant
Valentina Pinzi, MD: Resident
Marco Possanzini, MD: Resident
Flavia Serafini, MD: Resident
Viviana Vitolo, MD: Resident
Marcella Pasetti, MD: Fellow
Gaia Piperno, MD: Fellow
Barbara Alicja Jereczek-Fossa, MD: Senior
Genoveva Boboc MD: Fellow
Assistant Anna Kowalczyk MD: Fellow
Maria Cristina Leonardi MD: Senior Assistant Valeria Piazzi, MSc: Fellow (Medical Physics)
Daniela Alterio, MD: Assistant Mara Severgnini, MSc: Fellow (Medical Physics)
Giovanni Ivaldi, MD: Assistant Marco Valenti, MSc: Fellow (Medical Physics)
Roberta Lazzari, MD: Assistant Barbara Tagaste, Ing: Fellow
Anna Morra, MD: Assistant Silvia Franzetti, MD: Fellow
Andrea Vavassori, MD: Assistant Cristiana Fodor: Fellow (Data Manager)
Michela Lecchi, MSc: Assistant, Unit of
Molecular Imaging
Antonio Arangio, MD: Resident
Paola Canino, MD: Resident
Simona Castiglioni, MD: Resident
Anna Maria Ferrari, MD: Resident
Andrei Fodor, MD: Resident
Piero Fossati, MD: Resident
Benedetta Franchi, MD: Resident
Mara Grisei, MD: Resident
Antonio Minissale, MD: Resident
Raffaella Cambria, MSc: Medical Physics
Federica Cattani, MSc: Medical Physics
Mario Ciocca, MSc: Medical Physics
Cristina Garibaldi, MSc: Medical Physics
Elena Rondi, MSc: Medical Physics
Daniele Dubini: Chief Technician
Ignazio Russo: Chief Technician
Verlie Ann Jones: Technician
Lucia Casanova: Technician
Andrea Guido: Technician
Massimo Sarra Fiore: Technician
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Guglielmo Gatto: Technician
Fabiana Castelluccia: Technician
Lara Bianchi: Technician
Daniela Rozza: Technician
Margherita Sglavo: Technician
Andrea Vaccari: Technician
Yari Bontà: Technician
Assuntina Leppa: Technician
Francesca Picca: Technician
Saverio Greco: Technician
Alberto Rampinelli: Technician
Rodolfo Cendamo: Nurse
Livia Mariani: Nurse
Milena Lucic: Nurse
Lidia Orlando: Auxiliary
Nicola Peconio: Auxiliary
Isabella Savino: Auxiliary
Alessia Cattaneo: Secretary
The Division of Radiotherapy provides external and intraoperative radiation treatment to
outpatients and inpatients, while the Unit of Brachytherapy performs radioactive implants in an
integrated fashion in the field of Radiation Therapy. Additional support to the division is provided
by the full-time personnel from the Medical Physics Unit, who participate in all radiation therapy
activities including the Quality Assurance Program. The recently established Molecular Imaging
Unit will carry out research on animal models of cancer in collaboration with other laboratories of
the Institute with the specific aim of developing new tracers for assessing key variables for
precision radiation therapy, such as hypoxia, apoptosis, angiogenesis and cell proliferation. The
Unit will also develop and implement dedicated Positron Emission Tomography (PET) protocols for
selected patients undergoing radiotherapy.
The Division supports projects on 3D-Conformal Radiation Therapy (3D-CRT), Intraoperative
Radiation Therapy (IORT) and permanent implants in the prostate, as these are the most important
areas of clinical research and development in the field.
The Division is equipped with high-technology systems allowing for image-guided treatment
planning (with possibility of fusion of the computer tomography, magnetic resonance and positron
emission tomography images). We are able to perform precise radiotherapy administration using
modern technologies like intensity modulation radiotherapy (IMRT) and stereotactic radiotherapy.
These approaches with their high dose conformity and normal tissue avoidance enable more
confident dose escalation and hypofractionation. Record & verify system, connected to
treatment planning systems and linear accelerators, is helpful for the automatic check of
treatment parameters. Availability of two mobile linear accelerators deliver intraoperative
radiotherapy for breast cancer and other tumors. Similarly, dedicated planning systems and
treatment units are daily used in order to perform image-guided high-precision brachytherapy for
various malignancies, including interstitial implants for early prostatic cancer.
During 2004 a total of 2500 new patients have been treated, of which 1688 received external
radiotherapy, 555 IORT and the rest - brachytherapy (40% breast, 19 % prostate).
The Radiotherapy Division and both the Brachytherapy and the Molecular Imaging Units, are
actively involved in educational activities for pre and postgraduate medical students, and for
biotechnology university students, and medical technicians. In addition to teaching commitments
at the University of Milan, which focus on practical training for postgraduate students of the School
of Radiotherapy, staff members continue to be involved in training activities for the European
School of Oncology (ESO), the European Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ESTRO), the
Italian Association of Radiation Oncology (AIRO), and the PTCOG (Proton Therapy Co-operative
Group) and other national and international societies. The Division prepares and implements a
series of courses/conferences on “Advances in Radiation Therapy” for the ESO. The first of these
was held in Milan in June 2004, the next is also scheduled for Milan in June 2005 and the 2006
Conference will be held in Spain.
During 2004 the Division published 40 articles with an overall IF of over 120.
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