National Medical Research
Radiological Centre of the Ministry
of Health of the Russian Federation

FSBI NMRRC of the Ministry of health of Russia has exceptional experience in organizing professional interaction of the oncological community through teleconference, which allows for training, exchange of experience with regional oncological centers.

Twice a week, more than 35 regional cancer centers remotely participate in online conferences on the analysis of indicative clinical cases by profile, receive the expert opinion of the federal Center on various issues of diagnosis and treatment tactics.

In 2018, more than 1,100 patients from 64 regions were consulted through the Federal Telemedicine Information System of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, of which more than 450 patients were consulted via videoconference between the attending physician and the consulting physician.

Teleconference allows specialists to quickly determine the diagnosis in special and unique clinical cases, verify the diagnosis, which directly affects the quality of medical care in the subjects of the Russian Federation.

The Center has a high scientific potential. Within its walls, a whole galaxy of scientists has been brought up who are engaged in fundamental developments and their application in practice, the creation of new antitumor drugs in the treatment of oncological diseases. The Center actively cooperates with the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) and other research institutes, corporations, research and production associations in the Russian Federation. One of the significant results of the cooperation was the creation of the Russian proton complex “Prometheus”, Russian radioisotope pharmaceuticals.

By an order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated October 25, 2017, a group of scientists from the Federal State Budgetary Institution «National Medical Radiology Research Centre» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation headed by the Director General, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences A.D. Kaprin was awarded the 2017 Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation in the field of science and technology “For the development, production and introduction of domestic radio sources (Iodine-125) for contact radiation therapy (brachytherapy) in oncology”.

Federal State Budgetary Institution «National Medical Radiology Research Centre» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation having more than 120 years of experience, carries out educational activities in the system of higher education (postgraduate studies, residency), as well as additional professional education (advanced training, professional retraining). More than 100 residents and postgraduates are trained annually under the residency and postgraduate programs. Residency programs are held by specialization: oncology, radiology, radiotherapy, radiology, urology, pathological anatomy, anesthesiology-resuscitation, ultrasound diagnostics; postgraduate courses: clinical medicine, radiobiology. In 2018, 49 dissertations were defended in the dissertation councils of the Center — 10 of them doctoral and 39 candidate.

On the initiative of the Center, the All-Russian Association of Young Oncologists was created in order to unite specialists of scientific and practical level to provide them with a platform for professional and personal growth. The Association brought together more than 10,000 young scientists under the age of 35 from all over Russia.

To significantly reduce mortality from breast cancer in Russia, on the initiative of Academician A.D. Kaprin, in 2014, the National Center for Oncology of Reproductive Organs (mammology, Gynecology, andrology) was established on the basis of the Federal State Budgetary Institution «National Medical Radiology Research Centre» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

The Center managed to increase the throughput of diagnostic examinations of women, increase the effectiveness of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, which led to a comprehensive solution to the problem of oncological diseases of the reproductive organs.

Over the past period, more than 100,000 women have been examined with the help of modern digital mammography and high ultrasound technologies, 60-80 breast cancer patients are detected monthly, who are undergoing high-tech organ-sparing operations in combination with drug and radiation therapy.

The key to the health and quality of life of patients is timely prescribed rehabilitation after surgical and combined treatment of breast cancer. The high efficiency of the applied techniques allows patients to quickly return to their previous lifestyle and social activity.

OncoBiobnc is represented by two departments at the A. Tsyb Medical Radiological Research Centre (MRRC). Oncobiobank stores and researches biomaterials of cancer patients with various forms of cancer. Oncobiobank operates in accordance with European standards, being a member of ISBER – the International European Association for Environmental and Biological Repositories. Low−temperature (-800C) oncobiobank storage facilities allow storing up to 90,000 biological samples for research, as well as up to 40,000 samples in the temperature regime of liquid nitrogen vapor. Collections on colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung, stomach and lymphomas have been created.

CryoBank provides an opportunity for patients who have a risk of decreased or loss of fertility as a result of chemoradiotherapy to have children in the future. Sperm, ovarian tissue, and egg cells are collected from patients, cryopreservation and storage of patients’ genetic material are also carried out under special conditions. The blood of sick patients and their blood relatives is collected and stored, followed by DNA analysis for oncomutation. Autotransplantation of ovarian tissue (ovarian tissue) is performed.

The initiator of the creation of the national cancer registry in Russia was an outstanding Russian scientist, professor, surgeon Lev Lvovich Levshin, he was the first to begin experimental research in the field of carcinogenesis. In 1901, he sent out 15 thousand registration cards for the registration of cancer patients, becoming the founder of statistics in oncology. To date, the Population cancer Registry is an Information and Analytical system (IAS “Cancer Register”) for the collection, storage and analysis of information about malignant neoplasms among the population throughout the Russian Federation.

Every year, the IAS “Cancer Register” issues two bulletins: on the state of morbidity and mortality in the Russian Federation and on the state of cancer care to the population of Russia.

In the Atlas of Modern Oncology (second edition, American Cancer Society, 2014), the cancer registry of the Russian Federation is assessed as a high-quality regional one.

There are 3,762,218 patients registered in oncological dispensaries of the Russian Federation. In 2018, 624,709 new cases of cancer were detected.

The absolute number of deaths from cancer in 2018 amounted to 155,754 people

Data collection and analysis in the National Radiation and Epidemiological Register (NER) has been carried out since 1986. 790,000 Russian citizens who were exposed to radiation as a result of the Chernobyl accident are registered in the unified federal database.

NRER is the leading institution in Russia for studying the medical consequences of radiation accidents, developing measures for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of radio—related diseases, assessing radiation risks and predicting long-term medical consequences.

The assessment of radiation risks to the health of persons exposed as a result of nuclear accidents and incidents, medical radiological procedures, in the course of production activities related to nuclear technologies is carried out.

The main epidemiological data on the health status of the population and the liquidators of the Chernobyl accident, which are included in the White Book of the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, are collected on the basis of the NRER.

The blood service of the Federal State Budgetary Institution «National Medical Radiology Research Centre» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation is represented by two branches in the branches of the Oncologists of the Hertsen Institute (MORI) and A. Tsyb Medical Radiological Research Centre (MRRC). The departments are equipped with modern, high-tech equipment that allows for a full cycle of work in all major areas of transfusiology: blood service, clinical and industrial transfusiology, transfusion immunology. The main task of the blood service is to provide the clinics of the Center with transfusion media (canned blood, erythrocyte mass, suspension, plasma, platelet concentrates), including planned and emergency operations.

Every year, the blood service conducts more than 400 donations.

More than 600 people are registered in the donor bank of Federal State Budgetary Institution «National Medical Radiology Research Centre» of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

All donors donate blood and its components free of charge.

More than 2000 liters of canned blood are harvested annually.

Oncological patients undergo therapeutic and donor plasmapheresis on a HAEMONETICS device, which helps to cleanse the blood of toxins during chemotherapy sessions, which makes it easier to tolerate drug therapy.