Cork University Hospital (CUH), supported by its academic partner University College Cork (UCC), is one of the largest university teaching hospitals in Ireland and the largest National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) designated cancer centre in the South of Ireland. CUH resides in the Health Service Executive (HSE) South/South West Hospital Group (SSWHG) which serves a wider population of approximately 1.1 million. The provision of high-quality care for patients at risk of and with a diagnosis of cancer, as well as integration with innovative education and research initiatives is central to the hospital’s mission.

CUH is a tertiary referral centre for cancer services and one of two cancer centres nationally managing surgical care of hepatobiliary/pancreatic and central nervous system tumours, alongside the major cancer subtypes. Academic partnership facilitates collaboration between bench scientists in UCC, clinician scientists at the hospital, and population health scientists in the School of Public Health and the National Cancer Registry Ireland (located in Cork).

CUH houses a robust cancer clinical trials unit (Cancer Trials Cork) and the HRB-Clinical Research Facility (in collaboration with the Mercy University Hospital) to ensure access to novel diagnostics and therapies for patients with cancer. The broad portfolio encompasses phase I-III therapeutic trials in haematologic/solid malignancies, radiation therapy and surgery; including academic collaborative trials via Cancer Trials Ireland and industry trials, with a developing portfolio of patient-focused investigator-initiated trials. Clinical and translational research currently spans the areas of cancer biology, the microbiome, synthetic biology, precision oncology clinical trials and cancer outcomes research including an expanding portfolio of studies in the cancer survivorship space.

Core clinical facilities include inpatient, outpatient and chemotherapy day ward services as well as a state-of-the-art Radiation Oncology Cancer Centre, one of the largest single site Radiation Oncology facilities in Ireland. Multidisciplinary diagnostics and care of all cancer subtypes is embedded in cancer services and supported by dedicated nursing, allied health, and psycho-oncology teams. Marymount University Hospital & Hospice in Cork city provides inpatient palliative care services and in consultation services in CUH to ensure optimal supportive care of patients.