The Sant Joan de Déu Hospital has opened the Barcelona Paediatric Cancer Centre,

the first paediatric oncology Centre in Spain and the second in Europe.

Barcelona, 16 June 2022.- On Thursday this week, the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital inaugurated the Saint John of God Paediatric Cancer Centre Barcelona With the opening of the PCCB at the end of June, the Hospital, which belongs to the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God, plans to increase its capacity to treat new cases of paediatric cancer each year, so that the present 300 new cases and 105 cases of relapses or second opinion consultations being treated annually will be able to rise by 35% to 400 new cases each year, thanks to the new equipment  (PCCB), the first specialist paediatric oncology centre in Spain and the second in Europe. The project got off the ground in 2017 with the #ParaLosValientes campaign, which, between February of that year and October 2018, raised 30 million euros, to which an additional 7 million were added in a second phase of the campaign, for the construction of the new facility thanks to the 15 founding donors, hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals.

With the opening of the PCCB at the end of June, the Hospital, which belongs to the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God, plans to increase its capacity to treat new cases of paediatric cancer each year, so that the present 300 new cases and 105 cases of relapses or second opinion consultations being treated annually will be able to rise by 35% to 400 new cases each year, thanks to the new equipment 

Presiding over the inauguration ceremony was the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Pere Aragonès, and the event was attended by our Father General, Brother Jesús Etayo, the Provincial, Brother Amador Fernandez, and other local and health authorities, patients and representatives of the more than 150 companies and organisations whose donations helped to make the PCCB a reality. Among them, the Founding Donors who contributed more than 80% of the funds raised during the campaign: the Leo Messi Foundation, the Barça Foundation, Maria Àngels Recolons Morer, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, "la Caixa" Foundation, Esteve, Andbank, Atrys, Fundació Nou Mil-lenni, Asociación Benéfica Anita, Fundación Joan Ribas Araquistain, Rosalia Gispert Barral, Invest for Children, Roman Rosell Dolset and the Families and Associations of patients.

A proprietary model of specialist paediatric cancer care

The PCCB represents a milestone in the differentiated treatment of developmental cancer as compared to adult cancer. Its launch consolidates the model of research, assistance and care in paediatric oncology developed by the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital over more than 15 years, which is unique in Europe.

The Sant Joan de Déu Hospital's approach to paediatric oncology is based on the understanding that childhood cancer is associated with the development of the child in their earliest years of life, whereas cancer in adults is related to ageing, so that the biology of these diseases is totally different and drugs intended for adults are of little or no use for children.