State-of-the-Αrt Equipment Granted by SNF to the new Melanoma and Skin Cancer Center at Andreas Syggros Hospital in Athens
Modern reflectance confocal microscopy constitutes a main body of the Center’s equipment, which allows for more accurate diagnosis of skin pigmentation and melanoma. Due to its high diagnostic accuracy, the method of confocal microscopy contributes to limiting biopsies and surgeries for the treatment of malignant lesions, as well as to avoiding unnecessary interventions in those that are benign. Confocal microscopy is the most advanced form of imaging control of melanoma and it is applied in leading international referral centers. The acquisition of this equipment contributes to the positioning of A. Syggros Hospital as a diagnostic referral center for melanoma and vitiligo across Europe.
In addition, the SNF has supported the procurement of a sequencer for the scientific study of melanoma and skin cancer gene mutations by the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Center.
Under the same grant, a UVB Phototherapy Unit has also been installed at the Photobiology Department of the Hospital, being one of the few facilities in Athens that treats serious skin diseases such as psoriasis, vitiligo and other inflammatory diseases.
The grant to Andreas Syggros Hospital for the purchase of abovementioned equipment, totaling USD $409,000, was announced by the Foundation in 2016, while the equipment was installed and has already been operational since September 2017. Since the beginning of its operation, a total of 120 patients have been examined through the new microscopy, corresponding to 7-8 patients per week. The examination is carried out by a specially trained Dermatologist and the medical cases to be examined are selected according to specific criteria by the Center's scientific personnel. With the completion of the Center’s renovation, which was made possible with the contribution of Onassis Foundation and the family of Alkistis and Nickos Trihas that supported the construction study of the Center, the equipment is now relocated to the most appropriate space for their optimal operation.
As part of its longstanding and continuing support towards Greece’s Public Health sector, the SNF has in the past supported, with a grant totaling USD $622,000, the complete redesign and renovation of the operating rooms of A. Syggros Hospital. The new Department, which was inaugurated in July 2016, includes three operating rooms, specially designed areas for medical and nursing staff, and auxiliary spaces.
Furthermore, in 2017, the SNF supported the purchase of a pulsed dye laser, worth USD $87,000, for the Dermatologic Surgery Clinic at the same Hospital.
Andreas Syggros Hospital of Cutaneous & Venereal Diseases was established in 1919 with the aim to provide medical care for patients with cutaneous or sexually transmitted diseases. The Hospital has a longstanding experience in the diagnosis, research and treatment of cutaneous diseases and is one of the largest melanoma referral centers in Greece. The Hospital’s Melanoma and Skin Cancer Center is a model referral center for the research and treatment of melanoma and malignant skin tumors. Through a network of specialist in-hospital doctors and external collaborators, the Center provides high-quality medical services, aimed at diagnosing and treating melanoma patients.