By Roberto Greco
CEO of IMITHEA Single Member SA (Henry Dunant Hospital Center)
* This article was published on nextdeal.gr on Friday 28 February 2025 https://www.nextdeal.gr/epikairotita/ygeia/144216/roberto-greco-errikos-ntynan-i-gynaikologiki-ogkologia-se-neoys-dromoys
Rapid technological developments and the emergence of the new digital world are leading medicine to a major shift towards full specialization and personalized treatment. Healthcare organizations worldwide are rapidly and effectively following changes and innovations to ensure a meaningful role in a highly competitive environment.
The Henry Dunant Hospital Center has integrated the latest developments and now shares them by establishing a new group together with the Euromedica clinics in Thessaloniki, Rhodes, and Kozani, in which HDHC is the driving force. Through a series of significant infrastructure investments — both ongoing and planned — along with the continuous strengthening of its medical and nursing staff across all specialties, the Henry Dunant Hospital Center aims to shape a new landscape of medical care and comprehensive treatment. In this context, oncology patients are supported through a dedicated organizational structure. The new model incorporates services that make use of clinical consensus guidelines across the entire spectrum of neoplastic diseases. It encompasses prevention, early diagnosis, rapid confirmation of results by a team of experts, and a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach, in order to provide the best possible treatment for oncological patients.
Globally, the incidence of cancer is escalating rapidly due to the aging population. According to a recent GLOBOCAN report, gynecologic cancers account for 40% of all cancer cases. In 2022, gynecologic cancers represented 1.473.427 new cases and 680.372 deaths worldwide, with significant regional disparities in both incidence and mortality rates. Although overall cancer survival rates have significantly improved in recent decades, the five-year survival rates for gynecologic cancers remain moderate, especially for ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers.
Recognizing the current epidemiological data, as well as the central role of the female patient within the family, we place a strong emphasis on gynecologic oncology, particularly breast cancer. With state-of-the-art technology and a large, highly specialized medical team across all areas (diagnostic, surgical, medical oncology, and radiotherapy), we are setting a new standard for the treatment of gynecologic cancer. It is clear that the anatomical localization of cancer in women (cervix and uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes, vagina, vulva, and breast) presents unique therapeutic challenges that require a comprehensive oncological approach. The primary goal is to heal the patient, while prioritizing the preservation of the woman’s functional integrity in her professional, family, and sexual life.
Based on international standards followed by the most specialized oncology centers abroad, a new core has been established for gynecological oncology, guaranteeing effective interventions from early diagnosis and staging to specialized treatment, through collaboration among all relevant specialties. This network of complex services and decisions is managed without requiring the patient to move between various specialists. The medical team evaluates the patient’s imaging, laboratory, and pathological-cytological data, discusses the therapeutic approach with the patient, and finally presents the comprehensive clinical case to the multidisciplinary Oncology Board, ensuring that the final treatment decision reflects the highest level of scientific consensus and the latest clinical treatment guidelines.
The Henry Dunant Hospital Center has already created the necessary infrastructure with cutting-edge technology to play a leading role in the field of gynecologic oncology. It is already advancing along the new paths opened by robotic surgery and Artificial Intelligence programs, establishing a specialized clinic for Gynecologic and Robotic Surgery. This clinic essentially constitutes the first educational center in Greece for robotic surgery in the treatment of malignant diseases of the female reproductive system. The 4th generation Da Vinci Xi system, the most advanced robotic surgery system in Greece, designed to perform surgical procedures with millimeter precision and with extremely detailed identification of anatomical structures, is an invaluable tool in daily clinical practice. The aim of this surgical de-escalation is to minimize tissue damage, improve patient outcomes, and reduce the unwanted side effects commonly linked to extensive or conventional surgeries. This shift towards less invasive techniques may revolutionize surgical practices, significantly impacting both methods and the training of future surgeons. Of particular interest are the fertility-preserving treatments for endometrial and cervical cancers, which have recently increased among younger women. Balancing morbidity with the risks of mortality, fertility loss, and quality of life requires a targeted, patient-centered approach.
An additional innovation introduced by the Henry Dunant Hospital Center is the operation of a Second Opinion Clinic within the new Gynecologic and Robotic Surgery clinic. Patients can meet with the Gynecologic Oncology team by appointment to discuss and explore the most suitable treatment options.
The first and only PET/CT imaging system in the private hospital sector, also available in the new Theranostics Nuclear Medicine Center, combines two technologies —PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and CT (Computed Tomography)— into one machine, providing both anatomical and metabolic information simultaneously, allowing for maximum accuracy in imaging the entire body. The state-of-the-art SPECT/CT, also available at the new Center, ensures the absolute accuracy of scintigraphy imaging, which is essential for both the diagnosis and monitoring the effectiveness of treatment.
In addition to the above, the Henry Dunant Hospital Center boasts a state-of-the-art digital mammography system, certified by EUREF (European Reference Organization), equipped with a stereotactic biopsy system. The Breast Surgery Clinics at the Henry Dunant Hospital Center are staffed with experienced surgeons, trained at specialized centers abroad. They employ breast conservation and reconstruction techniques and work closely with Medical Oncologists and Radiation Oncologists, always respecting the functional and aesthetic needs of female patients.
It is important to note that the Henry Dunant Hospital Center has the only autonomous, state-of-the-art Daycare Unit in both the private and public sectors, operating from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM, dedicated to carrying out chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and biological therapies.
The newly established Radiotherapy Department will soon be enhanced with a latest-generation linear accelerator, ensuring 3D radiation of tumors in any area of the body, while simultaneously protecting healthy tissues. At the same time, a Molecular Biology Laboratory is being launched in the Laboratory Sector to utilize this data for the therapeutic guidance of patients. The Henry Dunant Hospital Center has set a high standard in the sensitive field of women’s cancer as well, confident that it will overcome this challenge alongside its patients.
