Preventing cancer is a priority
According to the data collected and the estimates carried out, following both the reduction in invitations made by the ASL and the lower participation by citizens, the lack of screening exams result in 3,324 breast cancers, 2,782 CIN2 + lesions of the uterine cervix, 1,300 colorectal cancers and over 7,400 fewer advanced colorectal adenomas diagnosed. Precancerous lesions or early stage neoplasms which, therefore, will most likely be identified at a later stage, with greater dangers for people and higher costs for the health system. “Before the pandemic, we had achieved extraordinary results thanks to screening, to the point that a significant decline in the diagnosis of some cancers was expected, such as those of colorectal and breast – says Livio Blasi, director of the Oncology of the ARNASS Civico of Palermo and president of CIPOMO, at the opening of the congress in progress in virtual mode until Saturday 22 May -. With the delays accumulated in recent months, we are nullifying part of the great effort made to spread the culture of prevention and early diagnosis. After having contributed to the emergency management of the first phase, we doctors have maintained the first line to guarantee access to the centers in safety and the regular conduct of screenings, applying national and international guidelines and protocols. We therefore reiterate the absolute priority for all citizens to overcome fear and return to undergo controls, strongly recalling how time in a cancer diagnosis can really make a difference ».
Technological innovation and territorial organization
The central theme of the conference will also be technological innovation which, due to and thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, has undergone a strong acceleration, highlighting the need to undertake a reflection common to all stakeholders on the problems, strengths and weaknesses of the new scenario that is expected above all thanks to the approval of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan by the Government. “The period of great change we are experiencing has imposed the need to rethink organizational and therapeutic models in all areas of medicine. – clarifies Claudio Zamagni, director of CIPOMO and director of the Addarii Medical Oncology at IRCCS Sant’Orsola in Bologna -. The goal is to build the new course of medical oncology so that we can combine technology with the humanitarian principles inspiring our profession, always keeping the patient at the center “. And if on the one hand technology is offering and will offer a contribution for a better management of the cancer patient, it is also essential to rethink the territorial organization of care, as underlined by Luigi Cavanna, CIPOMO councilor and director of the Oncology and Hematology Department at the ASL. of Piacenza: «CIPOMO is also working to ensure that hospital medical oncology is increasingly able to intercept the new needs of cancer patients, indeed to anticipate them in terms of response. For this we will try to develop in addition to hospital care also that on the territory, by medical oncologists who will be able to work in peripheral structures or in other realities that are now developing, such as the Houses of Health. This will allow us to be closer to our patients and their families, taking up what we learned during the first phase of the pandemic and concretely responding to the need for closeness and continuity of assistance ».
The impact of cancer diagnosis
This year, for the first time, the congress works are also open to the participation of all doctors and health professionals involved in the path of care of the cancer patient and, in part, to the public. A moment of discussion, open to all patient associations, is dedicated to the crucial issue of the impact that a diagnosis of cancer has on the patient’s affections. Saturday 22 May during the round table “The family, the affections: cancer in addition to the patient”, broadcast live from 09.30 to 11.45 on the Cipomo Facebook page. “The discovery of having a tumor overwhelms the patient and his loved ones – concludes Fabrizio Artioli, president of the conference and director of the Oncological Medicine North Area AUSL of Modena -: it is necessary to rethink everyday life, restore priorities and at the same time maintain a balance that allows family organization and management of the treatment. We considered it useful, as CIPOMO, to give space to the testimonies during our congress to give a voice, also in the context of a scientific debate, to those who experience cancer on their skin. By creating an informal space we look forward to arrive at ideas, solutions and operational proposals useful to all the actors involved and which will certainly represent useful suggestions in the continuation of our activity and our commitment to the sick ».
May 21, 2021 (change May 21, 2021 | 14:51)
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