PITTSBURGH — The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center wants to build 25 new cancer centers in Europe and the Middle East in the next decade.

UPMC's executive vice president Chuck Bogosta said the centers would be similar to UPMC's two facilities in Ireland.

Those institutes operate under deals with the Irish government, which also covers a large chunk of the costs.

Bogosta said the goal is to open about two new centers each year. Currently, the most prominent UPMC facility in Europe is a transplant center in Palermo, Sicily. That facility opened in 2004.

UPMC is the region's largest health care provider with annual revenues of about $7 billion.

UPMC is negotiating with Cyprus to open high-end medical centers on the Mediterranean island.