Ten years of ZIO: from niche oncology to a center with a lighthouse offering
The Center for Integrative Oncology (ZIO) has been in existence for ten years. The integrative treatment approach cultivated there, previously ridiculed by outsiders as therapy by "herbal oncologists", is now the recognized standard of care. Dr. Boris Hübenthal, Medical Director, explains in an interview what else has changed.
"Today, all oncology centers want to offer holistic treatment"
The ZIO now has five locations, and what the company offers its patients is exemplary throughout Switzerland. Ten years ago, everything began very modestly, as founding member Dr. Boris Hübenthal recalls.
The ZIO will be ten years old in 2025. How are you celebrating, Mr. Hübenthal?
Boris Hübenthal: We throw a big party for the employees. There are now around 100 people working at the ZIO. They are primarily involved in patient care and deal with over 20,000 consultations per year.
Are further activities planned?
Boris Hübenthal: Yes, there are open days at various locations where the public can get to know our work.
How did the ZIO come to be founded in 2015?
Boris Hübenthal: The idea for the ZIO came about because we realized that there was an extremely strong need for a professional combination of classical oncology and complementary medicine. A similar model was practiced at the former Richterswil Hospital, where I was working. With the ZIO, however, we wanted to be closer to the majority of patients in Zurich. However, the company was launched in Glarus in October 2015 because we were able to take over the only oncology practice in the canton from a colleague who was retiring. Incidentally, the ZIO Glarus is still the only such practice in the canton of Glarus. The Winterthur site was opened in 2017 and the newest site in Uster in 2025.
Was there a defined goal when the company was founded?
Boris Hübenthal: The ambitious goal was to become a professional provider of integrative oncology - from a single source - in German-speaking Switzerland.
And has this been achieved?
Boris Hübenthal: No - we are much further ahead than we thought at the time. We never expected to have five locations. We started with one doctor, one nurse and one medical practice assistant. But the project quickly took on a larger scale.
Namely?
When we opened the ZIO site in Zurich in 2016, we were overwhelmed by patients right from the start. The reason for this was our concept, according to which cancer is not only treated with traditional medication, but where the health of those affected is strengthened at the same time with supplementary, scientifically sound measures. This is exactly what patients and their relatives want.
What surprises have there been in the ten years?
Boris Hübenthal: The positive thing was that the wind has changed and it is no longer the case that what we do is classified as an exotic initiative by "green oncologists". Instead, all the major oncology centers want to offer integrative treatment and have joined forces in a corresponding network - the Swiss Network for Integrative Oncology SNIO. For us, this is a confirmation of our model. It was also surprising to learn how enormously challenging it is to expand the team, i.e. to find the right employees who can convincingly represent the integrative approach.
That is fundamentally different today.
Boris Hübenthal: Yes, colleagues are now asking us if they can become part of our team. The ZIO has become an attractive employer.
And what else is no longer the same as it was ten years ago?
Boris Hübenthal: Patients have become more aware of the holistic approach to treatment. And there are more and more scientific findings. Findings that further underpin exactly what we do.
Scientific findings to which the ZIO also contributes?
Boris Hübenthal: That's right, the ZIO is always involved in scientific projects. For example, the ZIO is also a co-founder of the Swiss Hyperthermia Network. This is a milestone in our history.
The network, which also carries out scientific work, offers patients access to hyperthermia treatment, which uses targeted heating of the body to combat cancer cells.
Let's try to take a look into the next decade: What will happen there?
Boris Hübenthal: In recent years, an enormous number of new solutions have been developed for cancer patients in the form of drugs and therapies; oncology has made huge progress. However, this also means that people are living longer and have to deal with the side effects of these drugs for longer. This leads to an increased need for care and therefore to more patients overall. The ZIO is likely to double in size over the next few years.
In other words: expand.
As the future is also likely to bring further specialization within oncology, this means that, in addition to the certified breast center, the ZIO may one day also set up a certified urogenital center, where diseases of the urinary and reproductive organs are treated specifically. Perhaps there will be other specialist centers, we are moving with the times.
The hyperthermia center is also being further expanded.
You can make a wish for your birthday: What would make you happy?
Boris Hübenthal: What makes me happy every day is the good mood in the team and among the people we treat: Although they are seriously ill and understandably burdened by the anxiety and worry of cancer, they come to us in a good mood. Supporting this mood is extremely important. And we want to continue to do so.
Dr. med. Boris Hübenthal, Medical Managing Director (CMO) ZIO
Dr. Boris Hübenthal is a founding member and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the ZIO. Together with Nadine Wilhelm (Managing Director), who joined the company in September, and Chief Financial Officer Rainer Blaser, he forms the center's management team.
Hübenthal, a specialist in internal medicine, haematology, oncology and anthroposophic medicine, has been working as a doctor for over 25 years. His professional focus is on internal medicine, hematology and oncology. He works at the ZIO site in Zurich and as an attending physician at two hospitals.
