About me

400 + robotic and laparoscopic surgeries for rectal cancer with sphincter preservation

600 + robotic and laparoscopic surgeries for colon cancer

200 + complex operations for metastatic disease and gynecological cancers involving the pelvis and rectum

1000 + proctology procedures (rectal prolapse, anal fistulas, hemorrhoids, anal fissures).

International Training

The complete path of the German system:
Resident - Attending surgeon - Acting Head of Department

After nearly a decade of training in Germany, Dr. Octavian Popescu now performs modern colorectal cancer surgery in one of the few centers in Romania and Europe where minimally invasive surgery — robotic and laparoscopic — is the routine standard, not the exception.

For patients, this means access to cancer treatment at European standards, focused on safe oncological results and quality of life — including, whenever possible, preservation of the anal sphincter and avoidance of a permanent stoma.

Dr. Popescu completed the full training program in visceral (abdominal) surgery in Germany under Prof. Dr. Hubertus Schmitz-Winnenthal, and subspecialized in France in minimally invasive colon and rectal surgery under Prof. Eric Rullier — a pioneer of the sphincter-preserving techniques for low rectal cancer now used worldwide.

Together with his mentor, Prof. Dr. Schmitz-Winnenthal (Professor of Surgery at Heidelberg University), he founded the German Institute of Surgical Oncology in Bucharest — built so that patients in Romania can receive this level of care at home, without compromise. For international patients, the institute offers the same German-standard surgery — with shorter waiting times and significantly lower costs than in Western Europe or USA.

Professional activity

05/01/2022 – present
German Institute of Surgical Oncology – Bucharest, Romania
Founder, Partner, Chief Surgeon
Oncological surgeries are performed at Memorial Hospital, Bucharest

20/12/2024 – present
Metropolitan Hospital – Bucharest, Romania
Medical Director

01/06/2023 – 20/12/2024
Klinikum Aschaffenburg-Alzenau – Alzenau, Germany (academic teaching hospital of the University of Würzburg)
Head of Section – General and Visceral Surgery

07/08/2019 – 04/01/2022
Klinikum Aschaffenburg - Alzenau (maximum-care-hospital, academic teaching hospital of the University of Würzburg) – Aschaffenburg, Germany
Attending Surgeon – General and Visceral Surgery (certified oncologic surgery center: colorectal, pancreatic, abdominal wall surgery)

01/11/2017 – 01/05/2018
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Bordeaux – Bordeaux, France
Colorectal Surgery Fellowship under Prof. Eric Rullier - Advanced training in surgical techniques for low rectal cancer with preservation of the anal sphincter

01/01/2013 – 07/01/2019
Residency and Board Certification in Visceral Surgery – Munich, Bavaria, Germany

01/01/2019 – 04/01/2022
Coordinator of the Department of Clinical Studies in Klinikum Aschaffenburg (Univ. Würzburg) - Clinic of Visceral and General Surgery

01/09/2006 – 01/09/2012
University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” – Bucharest, Romania
Doctor of Medicine

Continuing Medical Education

The Ethicon Professional Education Grant was awarded to support a six-month superspecialization fellowship in colorectal surgery in France for continuing professional development in new technologies and techniques; October 2017, Germany

COURSES AND CONFERENCES

Workshop – PIPAC for peritoneal carcinomatosis
26-28 March 2026, Dortmund, Germany

Speaker - Robotic Gastrointestinal Cancer surgery Course
30 January -  2 February 2026, Istanbul, Turkey

European Colorectal Congress
December 2025, St. Gallen, Switzerland

European Colorectal Congress
December 2023, St. Gallen, Switzerland

The National Surgery Congress; Presentation: Popescu G.O., Schmitz-Winnenthal F.H. „Sphincter preserving surgery for low rectal cancer''
May 2023, Eforie Nord, Romania

European Colorectal Congress
December 2021, St. Gallen, Switzerland

International Colorectal Masterclass
14-18 October 2019, Bordeaux, France

Tumorstaging mit dreidimensionaler Endosonographie – Teil 3 - praktischer Simulationskurs am Gerät
12 October, 2019, Köln, Germany

Congress of the European Society of Coloproctology. Poster Presentation: "Outcome of delayed coloanal anastomosis in difficult low rectal cancer", G. O. Popescu, G. Portale, V. Assenat, M.‐O. Francois, Q. Denost, E. Rullier
26-28 September 2018, Nice, France

The 29th National Surgery Congress; Presentation: Popescu G.O., Schmitz-Winnenthal F.H. „Standards of a german colorectal center in the management of anastomotic fistula after laparoscopic TME for low rectal cancer''
June 2018, Sinaia, Romania

IRCAD Advanced Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery Course
24-26 May 2018, Strasbourg, France

International Colorectal Masterclass
12-16 March 2018, Bordeaux, France

European Colorectal Congress
December 2017, St. Gallen, Switzerland

Romanian Hernia Days, Presentation: Popescu G.O., Schmitz-Winnenthal F.H. „Standards of a german hernia excelence center in inguinal hernia surgery'',
25-27 October 2017, Bucharest, Romania

Summer Overseas Coloproctology Workshop der Royal Society of Medicine
May 2017, Bordeaux, France

European Colorectal Congress
December 2016, St. Gallen, Switzerland

Pelvic Nerve-Sparing and Intraoperative Neuromonitoring for TME Workshop
17-18 October 2016, Mainz, Germany

Basic Coloproctology Course and German Colorectal Congress
March 2016, Munich, Germany

Transanal Stapling Workshop (Longo, STARR, Transtar), Prof. Roland Scherer
21-22 February 2016 ,Berlin, Germany

Operative Techniques Workshop: Hemorrhoidal Disease
November 2015, Hannover, Germany

The 91th Annual Meeting of the Association of German Surgeons,
Presentation: Popescu G.O., Kruse K., Engemann R. „Abdominal Actinomycosis: A meta analysis based on a case report"
July 2014, Bad Kissingen, Germany

DEGUM Ultrasound Course Abdomen
18-21 April 213, Trier, Germany

The 26th National Surgery Congress; Presentation: Popescu G.O., Gindea C., Constantinoiu S. „Triple approach subtotal esophagectomy with locoregional lymphadenectomy for thoracic esophageal cancer".
May 2012, Timisoara, Romania