‘ObeWeCare’, the project that traces a new screening process aimed at women suffering from obesity and which allows to prevent the risk of female cancers, is launched. Obesity is a disease that multiplies the risk of cancer. From here, a few days after World Obesity Day, World Obesity Day, and on the occasion of International Women’s Day, the project involving 5 centers of excellence – Asst Fatebenefratelli Sacco of Milan, Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi in Bologna, Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic in Rome, Aou Federico II in Naples and Aou Policlinico ‘G. Martino ‘di Messina – with the unconditional contribution of Medtronic, a leading company in HealthCare Technology.
Project objectives: to increase knowledge about female obesity for preventive purposes, design and implement effective and multidisciplinary therapeutic diagnostic paths, disseminate correct and certified information on obesity, its comorbidities and the incidence of this disease on female cancers, promote the awareness of obese patients. Experiences and studies conducted in questthe 5 centers in Italy, today united in a common path – a note reads – show, in fact, on the one hand, that obese patients are more likely to have tumor precursors such as complex atypical hyperplasia and develop endometrial carcinomas and, on the other, that they are less likely to know the risk that run. The ObeWeCare project therefore wants to make up for the lack of information that, in fact, represents a threat to the health of obese women and create a pilot experience of a screening process that can then start a best practice that can be replicated at national level.
With the unconditional support of Medtronic Italia, 5 centers of excellence, already reference points of the 5 regions involved, are launching this project to inform and raise awareness of obese patients through doctors specializing in bariatric surgery, gynecology and endocrinology, to promote joint checks and promote the culture of prevention by starting screening processes that combine controls linked to obesity and its comorbidities with the pathway linked to female pathologies, given the repercussions that obesity can cause in women. The ObeWeCare project will then translate into listening initiatives, Open Days, joint visits paths, which will be outlined and planned, in the coming months, by the individual structures that have decided to start the project.
“The pandemic picture of obesity, which affects 10.4% of the population, makes it necessary and essential to intensify health attention to related comorbidities – warns Marco Antonio Zappa, national president Sicob Italian Society for Obesity Surgery – Gynecological pathologies, including tumors, certainly represent an aspect that is little considered but very relevant in percentage terms and which requires careful evaluation in the context of reference centers where gynecological professionalism is associated with experience in the treatment of great obesity “.
“Al Irccs ‘Agostino Gemelli’ University Polyclinic in Rome A clinical assistance program is active for young women wishing to become pregnant with endometrial cancer – informs Ursula Catena, coordinator of the program -. This path is particularly important in patients suffering from obesity, who, thanks to a personalized treatment and a multidisciplinary approach, are given the possibility of a pregnancy before radical surgery “. “The proposed treatment consists in the conservative removal of the endometrial pathology by hysteroscopy then associated with hormonal therapy. Although the therapies to be performed are the same as those used in the normal weight patient, the response rate in obese patients is shown to be lower, as well as their obstetric success rate “, adds Francesco Fanfani, Uoc Oncological Gynecology of Gemelli.“The association with a therapy capable of interfering with the metabolic alterations typical of obesity has shown a synergistic effect in treating endometrial pathologies in obese patients”.
“In turn, bariatric surgery, through the significant reduction of body weight and predisposing factors related to diseases associated with obesity, can reduce the risk of developing endometrial disease”, underlines Marco Raffaelli, director Uoc Endocrine and metabolic surgery of Gemini. “Also because – specifies Mario Musella, Uoc Director of General Surgery with a metabolic endocrine approach Aou Federico II of Naples, one of the promoters of the new project – bariatric surgery has proved capable of activating a series of metabolic responses, in many ways deficient in obese subjects, in a way that is directly, but also indirectly linked to surgically induced weight loss.This is the reason why today we speak more correctly of bariatric-metabolic surgery (Bms).
“The prevention of gynecological neoplasms cannot be neglected”, underlines Giuseppe Bifulco, director Uoc Gynecology, Obstetrics and Sterility Center at Federico II in Naples. “It is now an established fact that the primary prevention of endometrial cancer is implemented by correcting the lifestyles at risk already at a young age and certainly among these the excess weight and the related hyperestrogenism. ‘obesity and the prevention of gynecological malignancies involving many disciplines is certainly a priority objective “.
“We promoted this new common project because at theIrccs Sant’Orsola of Bologna there has always been attention to the problems of women suffering from severe obesity, thanks to the synergistic work of endocrinologists, gynecologists and bariatric surgeons, through courses dedicated in particular to patients with endometrial preneoplastic lesions and endometrial carcinoma “, report Paolo Bernante, who directs the Intercompany Center for Metabolic Surgery and Obesity of Sant’Orsola Ausl Bentivoglio and Paolo Casadio, head of the hysteroscopy service of the Irccs Aou in Bologna. “It is with great interest that our Complex Operational Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Macedonio Melloni Asst Fatebenefratelli Sacco hospital unit in Milan – underlines the director Michele Vignali – joins the national ObeWeCare project dedicated to the care of obese patients. A dedicated clinic will be available in our hospital from next June “.
“Medtronic has always been committed alongside scientific societies, all stakeholders and Easo (European association for the study of obesity), on the occasion of the World obesity day, in the fight against obesity”, says Emanuele Abate, Business director Surgical innovations by Medtronic Italia. “This year, a few days before World Obesity Day and on the occasion of Women’s Day, we decided to support a project to promote the treatment of female obesity, through screening programs aimed at preventing cancer pathologies. Thus was born our idea of supporting ‘ObeWeCare’, entirely dedicated to women, to promote adequate and safe treatment paths for obesity and its comorbidities “.