«The patient comes first. I am used to being in the hospital all day, I have no times. And on the weekend, even if there are no interventions, they are in the hospital to explain surgery to the patients I operated on ». Don’t call her heroin. To Annamaria Minicozzi, Surgea Messinalike to be considered a person who engaged in his work with passion and dedication. He is responsible for the colorectal cancer surgery service at the Royal London Hospital and directs the multidisciplinary service of peritoneal oncology, which he founded in 2020 (first center in the British capital dedicated to ultra-specific therapies that guarantee patients new care possibilities).
The ability to develop highly specialized, and innovative procedures and its dedication to patients have led her to receive A prestigious recognition: the Barts Heath Hero 2025. His clinical interests focus on colorectal cancer treatments that require innovative and advanced therapies. In 2018, Dr. Minicozzi created in London the first center of CRS HIPEC (citoridtholic surgery and intra-per-performance hyperthermia) for the treatment of peritoneal metastases of colorectal cancer and the first center of CTS and chemo intra-taracic hyperthermia.
The development of the Hipec Center has made it possible to offer this procedure to patients residing in London, avoiding them the disadvantage of movements and delays in the treatment.
Recently, Dr. Minicozzi also introduced pressurized intraperitoneal aerosilized chemotherapy (pipac) for patients with colorectal and ovarian cancer, with extended peritoneal metastases that cannot be treated with conventional treatments.
«Research leads me to go further, and the gratitude that I encounter in the eyes of patients feeds the energies that are used to continue this path. Often you have to deal with disappointments and failures ». Degree in Messina, then during the specialization period in oncological surgery at the University of Veronaparticipates in various international training courses in some of the most important oncological centers in the world: in San Paolo in Brazil, at the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm and London.
“In Verona, at the Borgo Trento hospital, I already practiced citorhydructive surgery with Hipec with Professor Claudio Cordiano. I was hired for this reason ». This procedure in England is possible in only 3 centers. In London his great ability of innovation is recognized. The research bags arrive in the British capital, and after only 3 years the appointment as Consultant (a bit like the primary in Italy) in color and peritoneal surgery at the Manchester Christie Nhs Foundation Trust in 2016. In 2018, the return to the Royal London Hospital.
«In Verona I was very happy but I always had the desire to go to London. I started without having a program. But here I met prof. John Northover who inspired me how prof. Cordiano ».
Many sacrifices, but also many awards: «I have always been accustomed to a continuous activity: in the operating room even interventions of 12 hours. And then the study: we realized that the sick “moved”. There is a very dynamic patient management. We offer chemotherapy initially to reduce cancer size and when we reach a good response, we intervene immediately. We are able to reduce waiting times with a very careful programming and use of operating rooms. For cancer it is not good to delay surgery, because the sick progress. I also operated on Saturdays to avoid delays. A habit that I took in Verona: there is no Christmas or Easter ».
In Messina he returns when he can be with his mother: «I have my relatives and my friends and colleagues. I am linked from an emotional point of view to the city and the university course in Messina has given me a lot ».
Annamaria Minicozzi received Paul Harris Fellowship Award a few weeks ago in Londonrecognition of Rotary, who was assigned to her for her dedication to patients and for her research. And his mission does not stop: he has received a financing of 650 thousand pounds for the development of a brachytherapy center: «It will be the third in the United Kingdom and the only one in London and will help to avoid major surgical interventions, reducing the need for permanent stoma in patients with rectum cancer. I think we will be able to start in September »he explains. «We consider that in Italy I don’t know there is a similar center and not even in America. This is the latest project but it is the one that I perhaps keep most ».
Annamaria Minicozzi is missing his Italy: «In London he is fine. The return to Italy is very difficult: I thought about it and I would like. But I would return to a position equivalent to what I have now here in London, between the hospital where they are consultant and universities where I am associate professor. Of course in a place where you can develop these procedures: between research and clinic. I can’t separate my inclinations, the night studying innovations but I always talk to the patient in the morning ».