On 1st January 2003, the Oncology Reference Unit is initiated at the Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in Badalona, negotiated by the ICO.

The Oncology Director Plan in Catalonia shows the need to adapt the sanitary services linked to the oncological assistance of each Sanitary Region. According to this Director Plan, in the North Barcelona -Maresme area a Unit of oncological reference for the Region, negotiated by the ICO, is created. This Unit will promote formal agreements of strategic cooperation establishing alliances which contribute extra values among the hospitals of the Region, from a perspective of mutual respect and vocation of multidisciplinary contribution in the oncological assistance.

The creation of this model of oncological assistance implies an increase in the assistance offer for the citizens of the Region, which adapts to the growth of the incidence of cancer and to the new therapeutic and diagnostic technologies in oncology.