The National Oncology Institute, which is today Hungary’s leading medical, research and educational institution dealing with cancer, looks back on a long and eventful history. The institute is located in the 12th district of the capital, at Ráth György utca 7-9. Its location is not only of historical significance, but also symbolic: the quiet environment nestled in the mountains radiates tranquility, which can be important for patients undergoing long treatments. Its history is closely intertwined with the development of Hungarian oncology and the domestic fight against cancer.

The National Oncology Institute was originally located on the territory of the Buda Private Mental and Neurological Institute, founded by Ferenc Schwartzer in 1852. After the First World War, the institute operated exclusively as a sanatorium under a new name. In the 1920s, the Siesta Sanatorium also hosted such famous patients as Mihály Babits, Attila József and Alexander Graham Bell. The foundation of the institute was laid in the 1930s; the rapid spread of cancer diseases in that decade made the establishment of a specialized care facility urgent. Although the actual foundation took place in 1936, the real breakthrough came in 1952, when the National Oncology Institute (OOI) was officially established as the legal successor of the former Eötvös Loránd Radium and X-ray Institute.

The OOI has played a pioneering role in Hungarian cancer therapy since its inception. In the early years, the institute’s tasks included the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and the development of prevention programs; in addition, it also engaged in scientific research aimed at better understanding the development and spread of tumors. The work of the institute was founded by renowned doctors and researchers such as Vilmos Manninger, Vilmos Czunft, Béla Wald, Tibor Venkey, János Vikol, Iván Rodé and Sándor Eckhardt; their names are still known in the medical profession today. In the second half of the 20th century, the National Oncology Institute began to develop rapidly. In the 1970s and then in the 1980s, new departments, operating rooms and diagnostic centers were established. Even then, the institution closely cooperated with other international oncology centers, so the latest treatment procedures could quickly reach Hungary.

Team Members:
Reka Szabados
Magdolna Dank
István KENESSEY
Edit Marosi
Ilona Gál