Cagliari It is now known as a sort of cancer killer: it is responsible for the death of around 34 thousand Italians every year. It grants survival five years after diagnosis to just sixteen out of one hundred patients.
This percentage drops to ten if the disease is in the metastatic phase, a tragedy that affects 40 percent of patients. It’s lung cancer, with its suite of crude and ferocious figures. Numbers that were debated at the conference “In pole position – Progress in the fight against lung cancer in Sardinia: prospects and challenges”.
And on the island things are no better. Indeed, the data (2019) show ten thousand new annual cases of malignant tumors. Only prostate and colorectal cancer, with 17 percent of cases, prevails over 12 percent of lung cancer. Meanwhile, while waiting for screenings such as those of the breast or colorectal, for smoker’s cancer, eight out of ten patients are smokers, there is the Risp program (Italian lung screening network).
Promoted by the Ministry of Health, it involves 18 centres, and has a multi-centre early diagnosis program which includes a low-dose CT scan without contrast with the aim of recruiting ten thousand high-risk subjects.
«But – he explains Michele Boero, director of Nuclear Medicine Arnas Brotzu and scientific director of the work – Sardinia is not part of it”. In short, there is work to be done and quickly. «We followed the European Parliament’s directive and allocated funds for screening processes. We know that for every euro spent on prevention there are three in social and health repercussions” he remarks Stefano Schirru, president of the budget commission of the regional council. «After years of defunding in the healthcare budget there are 131 billion, three more than in 2022. But – he adds Ugo Cappellaccipresident of the Social Affairs Commission of the Chamber of Deputies – funds are needed for prevention and research.”
There are health literacy and lifestyle courses in compulsory schools. But it’s not enough. «The battle against lung cancer is tough but it can be fought» he summarizes Emilio Montaldo, president of the Cagliari medical association. «We work on the molecular classification of patients: the first step for integrated therapies» he adds Giuseppe Palmierifull professor of medical genetics in Sassari.
There are gusts of hope from the capital Giorgio La Nasa, vice-rector of health activities: «With innovative therapies with molecular targets, monoclonal antibodies and regenerative cell therapies, we will always do better». The mayor of Cagliari, Paolo Truzzo (“The breast cancer prevention clinic is already fully booked for 2024!”), the general director of the Department of Health, Francesca Piras and, among others, specialists Efisio Defraia (Mater Olbia), Stefano Profili, Antonio Cossu e Antonio Pazzola (Aou Sassari), Clelia Madeddu (Aou Cagliari) e Francesca Capelli (San Francesco, Nuoro).
The king of killers requires multidisciplinary teams, funding for facilities, treatments and innovation, as well as political sensitivity. Without it, it will be complicated.
2023-11-25 21:12:52
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