Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre marked one year of Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) accreditation with a special event to celebrate patients, partnerships and progress that took place in the RCSI Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital on Friday, 19 May.

Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre is an innovative collaboration between Beaumont Hospital, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and St Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network.

The event celebrated the centre’s progress toward reducing the cancer burden since its accreditation by the OECI, Europe’s accreditation body for standards in cancer research, education and clinical care.

To celebrate the milestone, a special supplement, Pioneering Cancer Centre, has been published with The Irish Times. Read the supplement online here.

Commenting on the centre’s evolution over the past 12 months, Patrick Clerkin, Interim Chief Executive, Beaumont Hospital, said: “As EU member states are called on to transform cancer culture and to optimise diagnostics and treatment, the cancer centre is focused on expanding research and integrating innovation with cancer care. Pioneering world-class cancer care means patient-partnered care. Everything we do is driven by the needs of patients – they are the most important stakeholders in the cancer centre.”

Culture of learning

Professor Cathal Kelly, Vice Chancellor, RCSI, said: “We recognise that to fight cancer we need to take a collaborative approach and drive cooperation between specialists in research and clinical spheres. The centre provides an extensive range of high-quality diagnostics and care tailored to the individual patient’s needs, and we strive to improve the professional and organisational quality of care and foster a culture of learning to inspire and empower the health workforce of tomorrow.”

The event also saw the launch of the Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre Research Report 2021/22 which outlined the success in strategic appointments, grant awards, growth in clinical trials and publications during the period.

Translational research

Commenting on research highlights, Professor Leonie Young, Scientific Director, Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre, said: “Formation of Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre has been transformative in building truly translational research capacity. Clinical trial activity has grown steadily and structured translational studies in the areas of breast, colon and brain cancer are proving a rich resource for patient focused discover studies and providing data to support new investigator-initiated research.”

Outlining the centre’s ambition to involve 10% of patients in clinical trials Professor Patrick Morris, Medical Director, Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre, said: “We seek to deliver novel therapies through clinical trials, guided by preclinical and translational science. Patients may get access to a new treatment before it is available to anyone else; they play a more active role in their healthcare and they help others by contributing to knowledge about new treatments or procedures.”