Cerebral Tumours Pilot - Romania

The Context

Cerebral tumors represent a significant health concern in the North-East region of Romania, reflecting national and global trends in oncology. This region, characterized by a mix of urban and rural populations, faces challenges in early diagnosis and access to specialized care. Glioblastomas and meningiomas are among the most commonly reported types, with cases often diagnosed at advanced stages due to limited screening programs and delayed symptom recognition.

Healthcare infrastructure in the region is improving, with increasing availability of advanced imaging techniques such as MRI and CT scans. However, disparities in access to care persist, particularly in rural areas. Rural populations in the region face delays in diagnosis due to limited access to advanced imaging and specialized neurological services. Research and targeted healthcare policies are essential to address these gaps and improve outcomes for patients with cerebral tumors in this region.

Moreover, in the treatment of some brain tumors, patients are faced with the situation of being treated at several hospitals, in the sense that complex treatment cannot be performed at a single hospital in the area. Surgical treatment has to be complemented with radiochemotherapy treatment. In this situation, the patient is transported to another hospital, where patient data does not always arrive properly. Thus, management is difficult without a centralized repository that includes the patient’s journey up to that point.

Our Pilot

This pilot study aims to assess the degree to which an integrated regional repository for brain tumors’ patients’ data can meet the criteria of a Data Space, as outlined in the D3.2 methodology.

By enabling a common database in which all of the tumor characteristics are present (for clinical to radiological and histopathological data), it will be easier to conduct a proper evaluation of each individual case, especially when the patient has to be moved from one hospital to another, and would also allow us to create different statistical data derived by it.

At the same time, a centralized repository would provide clinicians with enough knowledge of our geographical underlying mutational brain tumor, and the possibility to conduct retrospective studies, identifying new prognostic factors or correlation between different tumor characteristics (mutation, site, clinic aspects, imaging findings).

For researchers, integrating medical data creates an invaluable resource. With access to large, diverse datasets, machine learning algorithms could be trained to detect tumors early, classify them more accurately, and optimize treatments.

 

Cerebral Tumor study has 3 scenarios taken into consideration:

Scenario 1: Retrospective observational study on Tumor Grading Correlation. 

Steps:

  • Retrospectively collect imaging and histopathological data treated in one hospital in the last 5 years;

Scenario 2: Prospective observational study in tumor progression.

  Steps:

  • Retrospectively collect imaging and histopathological data treated in one hospital in the last 5 years;
  • Prospectively collect treatment data and imaging data during treatment;

Scenario 3: Real-time data transfer and consultations across two hospitals for patients diagnosed with brain tumours.

Steps:

  • Implementing a secure share space for healthcare providers for faster diagnosis.
  • Ensure interoperability between two hospitals: Emergency Hospital “Prof. Dr. N. Oblu” Iasi and Institute of Oncology from Iasi.

The participants:

Data providers:

  • Emergency Hospital “Prof. Dr. N. Oblu” Iasi – Radiology Department via Profesor Dr. Danisia Haba
  • Institute of Oncology from Iasi

Infrastructure and service provider:

  • IMAGO-MOL Cluster – MEDIMAG-IA hardware infrastructure 
  • Skyer Medical Imaging/Biotronics3D – 3Dnet platform (software platform)
  • “Gheorghe Asachi “Technical University of Iasi – co-locating the hardware infrastructure

Data consumers:

1st and 2nd scenarios (research purpose)

  • Emergency Hospital “Prof. Dr. N. Oblu” Iasi – medical staff that meets the criteria for accessing the repository – Regional Medical Data Hub for Brain Tumors.
  • Institute of Oncology from Iasi – medical staff that meets the criteria for accessing the repository – Regional Medical Data Hub for Brain Tumors.

Researchers – IMAGO-MOL members such as the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Grigore T.Popa of Iasi

3rd scenario (interconnectivity purpose)

  • Emergency Hospital “Prof. Dr. N. Oblu” Iasi – medical staff that meets the criteria for accessing the repository – Regional Medical Data Hub for Brain Tumors.
  • Institute of Oncology from Iasi – medical staff that meets the criteria for accessing the repository – Regional Medical Data Hub for Brain Tumors.

Implementation period: June 2025 – November 2026

Contact details:

IMAGO-MOL Cluster (pilot coordinator)

Carmen Mihai, pilot coordinator, carmen.mihai@imago-mol.ro

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