The teaching of oncology as a separate discipline began at the Minsk State Medical Institute (MSMI) in 1968. To improve knowledge in separate disciplines, by the rector’s order of MSMI, Professor A.A. Klyucharev, at the 1st Department of Hospital Surgery the course of the same name was organized and headed by Candidate of Medical Sciences, Assistant Demidchik Evgeny Pavlovich.
On the initiative of the leading oncologist of the Soviet Union Academician N.N. Blokhin, oncology departments began to open in many districts of the country at Medical Institutes in 1974. In November 1974, on the basis of the Minsk City Clinical Oncological Hospital the Department of Oncology of the Minsk State Medical Institute was organized. From the time of organization and up to now, this scientific and pedagogical department is located on the multidisciplinary clinical basis of the Minsk City Clinical Oncological Hospital.
Demidchik Evgeny Pavlovich (1925-2010) was the first head of the Department of Oncology. From 1944 to 1950, Evgeny Pavlovich served in the Soviet Army, including in 1944-1945 – in the active army as part of the 1st Baltic and 2nd Byelorussian Fronts and then – in the Northern Group of Forces. In 1951 he entered MSMS. After graduation he worked as a surgeon in the Gorets district hospital for 9 years and then headed the Surgery Department of the Mogilev regional hospital. In 1964 he educated himself through the correspondence postgraduate courses at the 1st Department of Hospital Surgery of MSMS. This year he defended his Ph.D. dissertation “Anterior thoracic jejunostomy in non-resectable esophageal cancer”.
In 1965 Demidchik E.P. headed the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the Research Institute of Oncology and Medical Radiology. Since 1966, he worked as an assistant, associate-professor of the Department of the 1st Hospital Surgery of MSMI. In 1974 he headed the Department of Oncology and was its Head until 1996. In 1987 he defended his al dissertation “Thyroid cancer (epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment)”.
In 1988 he was awarded the title of professor. Along with the pedagogical and scientific activity Demidchik E.P. was the chief surgeon of the Health Department of the Minsk City Executive Committee for a long time (1966-1987). Because of high incidence of thyroid cancer after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, on his initiative in 1990 the Republican Center for Thyroid Tumors was organized to treat patients who had suffered from the Chernobyl accident. All thyroid tumor patients of the Republic were housed at this Center. This allowed gaining vast scientific and practical experience in diagnosis and treatment of all-age thyroid cancer patients. Demidchik E.P. headed this Center until 2003. Thanks to unique research and development of highly effective treatment methods, the Center became well known outside the Republic of Belarus. Demidchik E.P. was a well-known scientist in the field of oncology. He made a great contribution to the research of esophageal cancer, gaster cancer, and thyroid cancer and created a scientific school of onсologists. Under his scientific guidance, a combined treatment of patients with radiation-induced thyroid cancer was implemented into clinical practice. Cervical lymphodissection surgery with venous anastomosis in locally advanced cancer was developed. His works on radioiodotherapy for pulmonary thyroid cancer metastases are of great importance for oncology. In 1996 Demidchik E.P. was elected an academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. In 1997 he was awarded the honorary title “Honored of the Republic of Belarus”.
The scientific activity results of Evgeny P. Demidchik are presented in 386 scientific publications, the oncology textbook, 7 monographs, and 9 endocrinology, gastroenterology, surgery handbooks. Under his scientific guidance, 2 al and 8 Ph.D. theses were defended. He is the co-author of the scientific discovery “The phenomenon of synaptic transmission unit under the action of a pulse magnetic field”. He is the author of 11 inventions. In 2002 Demidchik E.P. was awarded the 4th Memorial Peace Prize (Japan) for scientific and humanitarian achievements.
First Employees of the Department
Valentina P. Rudaya (1923-1985), Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate-Professor. Rudaya V.P. worked as an Associate-Professor at the Obstetrics and Gynecology of Department of MSMI. Starting with 1974, her practical and scientific activity at the Department of Oncology has been associated with improving the methods of diagnosis and treatment of patients with neoplasmas of the female reproductive system.
She is the author of 54 scientific publications.
Felix V. Narkevich (1931-2005), Candidate of Medical Sciences, Assistant. In 1971 he defended his Ph.D. dissertation “Extended mastectomy for breast cancer”. He is the author of 33 publications. In 1967 he was awarded the medal “For valiant labor”. Before working at the Department he was the Depute Chief Physician for radio surgery. He was fond of alpinism, was the organizer of the Alpinism Federation of Byelorussia, and was elected its Chairman. In one of his reviews Narkevich F.V. said: “One of the manifestations of human essence is all the time to go conquering new peaks – large and small. It seems to me that who thinks otherwise – he robs himself in some way”.
Nataliya E. Kruglova (1947), Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate- Professor. She worked at the Department from 1985 to 1996. Before this she was a researcher at the Ray Therapy Department of the Scientific Research Institute of Oncology and Medical Radiology of the BSSR Ministry of Health. In 1984 she defended her Ph.D. dissertation “Chemoradiation for patients with epidermoid lung cancer”. She is a top-qualification doctor.
She is the author of 32 publications.
Yakov I. Sevkovsky (1959-2016), Candidate of Medical Sciences, Assistant. He worked at the Department from 1989 to 1998. After he had graduated from the Medical Faculty of MSMI in 1982 he worked as a neurosurgeon at the Research Institute of Traumatology and Ortopedics of Belarus. From 1986 to 1989 he was a graduate student of the MSMI Department of Oncology. In 1993 he defended his Ph.D dissertation “Individual prediction of treatment outcomes for thyroid cancer patients.” He is the author of 8 scientific publications. During 1993-1995 he interned at the University clinics of Germany (Frankfurt am Main, Hannover).
In 1996 the Department of Oncology was headed by Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, of Medical Sciences, Professor Demidchik Yuri Evgenievich (1958-2019) whose was its head up to 2009. In 1989 Demidchik Y.E. defended his Ph.D. dissertation 'Combined treatment of patients with lung cancer using radiomodifying effects'. Up to 1994 he worked as a researcher and then – as a senior scientist at the Department of Surgical and Combined treatment methods of the Research Institute of Oncology and Medical Radiology named after N.N. Aleksandrov. In 1994 he moved to the Department of Oncology of BSMU. In 1998 he defended his al dissertation “Radical treatment of lung cancer patients”. Under the guidance of Demidchik Y.E., 14 Ph.D. and 3 al theses were defended.
He is the author of 630 scientific publications and 14 inventions.
Since 2009, Alexander V. Prokhorov, of Medical Sciences, Professor, Laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus has become the head of the Department of Oncology.
In Different Years, They Worked at the Department
Vitaly E. Papok, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Assistant
He worked at the Department during 2005-2013. In 2009 he defended his Ph.D. dissertation “Diagnostics and treatment of follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer”. He is the author of 33 scientific works.
Anastasya N. Koslovskaya, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Assistant
She worked at the Department from 2011 to 2016. In 2013 she defended her Ph.D. dissertation “Treatment and prevention of acute erosive and ulcerative lesions of the stomach and duodenum in patients with peritonitis (experimental clinical study”.
She is the author of 20 published works and 1 instruction for use.
Anna E. Anishchenko, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Assistant
In 2011-2013 she was a graduate student of the Department of Oncology of Belarusian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education. Since 2013, she has been an assistant of the Department of Oncology of BSMU. In 2016 she defended her Ph.D. dissertation “Complex treatment for advanced serous ovarian cancer”.
She is the author of 25 publications.
Tamara I. Minaylo (1944-2021), Assistant
At present, 11 in-service teachers are working at the Department: 2 professors, 6 associate-professors, 3 assistants and 3 laboratory assistants. All teachers are the top-qualification oncologists.