Toulouse celebrates 100 years of fight against cancer: “We are witnesses of gigantic progress”

For nearly ten years, teams from the Claudius Regaud Cancer Center (CLCC) have left the historic site of rue du Pont Saint-Pierre in the Saint-Cyprien district. They now work at the University Cancer Institute of Toulouse-Oncopole with teams from the University Hospital Center (CHU) of Toulouse and in conjunction with the Cancer Research Center (CRCT) of Toulouse. The Claudius Regaud Oncopole still defends its historical roots, as its general manager, Professor Jean-Pierre Delord, reminds us.

What does this hundredth anniversary of the Claudius Regaud center in Toulouse represent?

It shows first of all that, generation after generation, medical and nursing teams do not give up on cancer and continue to take care of patients even if the care and buildings do not resemble the situation there is. a century. When the CLCCs were set up, cancer was becoming a public health scourge requiring multiple approaches and skills. But it was also necessary to learn about the disease while transmitting and teaching. The spirit of the CLCCs is also this companionship. And then, this centenary also celebrates Toulouse’s collective intelligence which knew how to create this Oncopole and put everyone in the same direction, at the service of patients.

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It is also a moment of sharing memories, the attachment to the Claudius Regaud Institute remains strong…

Yes, of course, we found strong testimonials from patients and families of patients. Every time we meet the general public, we talk about research, treatments, we explain this disease that scares and amazes, we advance in the care.

What is your personal memory of the Saint-Cyprien site?

This is where I did my first internship, in the mid-1990s. I went to my first shift with a moped that I had been lent to, I was welcomed by Maïté and Serge , caregiver and nurse. They told me “come on small, it’s going to be fine”, prepared me to eat and said to me “if we need you, we’ll come get you”. That meant that during a night on call, there could always be unforeseen events, things that didn’t always go well, but that we were together, that there was a team. I went elsewhere to see how other hospitals worked, in Paris and around the world, but deep down, I think I always wanted to come back to work with them.

What has changed in cancer treatment?

Many things ! Surgeons have learned to repair at the same time as they operate, in radiotherapy, the level of precision of the rays has further progressed and, at the level of drugs, we are witnessing gigantic progress. 30 years ago, if someone had told me that one day I would administer a vaccine against cancer, I would not have believed it any more than going to treat patients on the planet Mars! Since 2010, there have been more patients who recover from cancer than patients who die of it, even if this is never enough.

What are the projects on the site?

We would like to increase the patient reception capacity from 320 to 400 beds and places with a project, shared with the University Hospital, to extend and modify the current premises. All this while strengthening our partnership with hospitals in the region so that cancer can continue to be treated locally. Our objective is also to maintain our position among the European leaders in the fight against cancer. But all this on the condition of transmitting the values ​​of humanism and support, because you cannot cure cancer by just being scientifically brilliant and acquiring technical skills. Learning to take care of patients requires time, humility, observation and teamwork, and this is what prevailed when the Claudius Regaud center was built a century ago.