Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA
Health was a major topic of the visit, and the Director General visited the National Cancer Institute of Milan, Italy’s first ever cancer research and treatment institute, which Mr Grossi called “a beacon of quality in the field”. The IAEA is exploring ways to increase its collaboration with the institute, including under its Rays of Hope initiative, to improve access to cancer care for those who need it most.
Mr Grossi also toured the high-end National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO) in Pavia, alongside May Abdel-Wahab, Director of the Human Health Division of the IAEA. CNAO is one of only a handful of institutes in the world that is treating radio-resistant or inoperable tumours using hadrontherapy, an advanced nuclear technique that uses charged particles for radiotherapy, while reducing damage to surrounding tissues.
In a press release about the visit, CNAO’s President Gianluca Vago said: “It is important to foster a positive culture of nuclear energy use. What CNAO has been doing for over twenty years is a demonstration of this. CNAO has long been engaged in promoting educational and training activities to make people understand that atomic particles are an important resource to be used for clinical purposes and is ready to start new collaborations within the international network promoted by IAEA.”