Enrico Anglesio, 1908-2003

Professor Enrico Anglesio passed away on July 7. Until one year ago, in spite of his physical limitations, he had preserved the habit to go regularly through the recent issues of scientific journals at the Cancer Registry and at the library of the hospital where in the past he had been in charge of the unit of clinical oncology.

Anglesio had obtained a Medical Degree in Torino in 1933. He was a student of the pathologist Benedetto Morpurgo, and started to work on the biology and therapy of cancer in the small cancer hospital in Torino. Anglesio used to remind us that much progress in the understanding of cancer had taken place during the thirties, in the toxicological (and therefore etiological) domain as well as in biochemical and metabolic terms and as far as radiodiagnostics. Nevertheless, he also recollected how, in those days, he and other clinicians were disappointed by the limited consequences that advances in biological knowledge was yielding as far as patients’ benefit

During world war II he acted as a Medical Officer of the Italian Army in several military fronts. In 1946, he was back to his hospital and to his clinical commitment. Clinical oncology was at the eve of crucial developments, focussed on the evidence of the efficacy of hormonal therapy, on the promising early results of chemiotherapy and on the technological progress of radiodiagnostics and radiotherapy. Over the next half a century, Anglesio was a clever, informed and critical observer of scientific advances in both biological understanding of cancer and clinical investigations. Following long periods spent in the United States during the 50s and 60s in contact with outstanding cancer institutions, until his retirement, in the early 80s, he was a promoter of cancer chemotherapy in Italy. His personal commitment was addressed to the therapy of lymphomas.

However, in the domain of cancer research and public health, Anglesio’s major achievement was his ability to set the Cancer Registry of Piedmont in motion in the mid 60s. This was the first registry to be launched in a country of Southern Europe, in a medical milieu which was unreceptive to the epidemiological approach. In the 70s, Enrico Anglesio, together with Albert Tuyns, Luc Raymond and Benedetto Terracini was a promoter of the cooperation among Cancer Registries in Southern European countries which led to the creation of the Groupe de l’Ascension, which has recently achieved its 28th meeting.

In addition to a number of scientific papers, Anglesio authored the “Manuale Pratico di Cancerologia” (Utet, 1982) and a history of oncology (“I protagonisti dell’Oncologia”, Minerva Medica, 1988, English translation “Pioneers and Discoverers in Malignant Diseases” RP Press 1999).

Over many years, Anglesio’s civil commitment materialized in the Italian League against Cancer. He was active both at the national and local level (he chaired the Section of the League of the Province of Torino). Thanks to him, in the early 70s, the Ligue published the first Italian atlas of cancer mortality and started a programme for the training of young cancer scientists.

In all his activities, Anglesio contributed with his sweet style (he had an unusual ability to make other people feel comfortable), his culture, the width of the network of his friendships both in the general and in the professional milieu and above all, with his incredible ability to work. But the trait which we have most appreciated in him has been his spirit of independence in front of the many incarnations of power he came accross during his long life: his students and friends respected him for this and he was aware that this respect was more productive that any material advantage or privilege.

His wife Margherita (to whom we express our deepest sympathy) accompanied Enrico Anglesio through his mission, with as much intelligence and generosity.

Roberto Zanetti

Registro Tumori Piemonte

Torino, 14 luglio 2003