The Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil (Portuguese Oncology Institute of Lisbon Francisco Gentil) – IPO Lisboa is a public hospital run by the Portuguese National Health Service and accomplishes in 2023 a century of excellence and experience in the research, study and cancer treatment.
Named after its founder, the surgeon Francisco Gentil, the Instituto Português para o Estudo do Cancro (Portuguese Institute for the Study of Cancer) was created on the 29th of December 1923 and, by the proposal of its mentor, was associated with Lisbon’s Faculty of Medicine right from the start. The organisational model was pioneering at the time and focused on the main objetives wich led to the creation of the institution – research, teaching and care for cancer patients – which only 60 years later were enshrined by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
From the beginning, IPO Lisboa has advocated top-level and highly specialised care which has earned it quality indicators similar to those of the most renowned international centres in this area, certification as a National Centre of Reference in the treatment of various types of cancer by the Ministry of Health, and accreditation by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI).
Benefiting from a huge capital of medical, technical, scientific and social prestige, it is a cherished institution among patients and their families who value its humanist provision of healthcare. Indeed, humanism is a unique and differentiating component of IPO Lisboa. And its century-long experience in the provision of specialised care in proximate and family-like way is kept alive until our days in each gesture and each act carried out by the exceptional professionals that the IPO is honored to count in its ranks.
With more than 2,000 employees, the Institute welcomes patients from the Lisbon area and the south of the country, the islands (Azores and Madeira) as well as the Portuguese- -speaking African countries. This special stamp issue is dedicated to all patients, all healthcare professionals and all the Portuguese, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of this institution that belongs to us all.
Portuguese Oncology Institute
of Lisbon Francisco Gentil
