Battista: “A simple, free and fair test: early diagnosis is essential”
“Pink October represents an opportunity to renew the invitation to women to consciously participate in the Mammography Screening program – she explains Rachele Battista, Head of the breast screening program –, taking care of yourself through a simple test, the Mammogram, which could change your state of health. The Screening program, in fact, allows for the early diagnosis of breast cancer and is aimed at all women in the Province of Modena aged between 45 and 74, resident or domiciled with healthcare, to perform the Mammography at the healthcare facility close to their home, annually for the 45-49 age group and biennially for the 50-74 age group. The Program is free, i.e. every service necessary to reach the diagnosis is paid for by the National Health Service. Active invitation ensures fair access. In the event of a cancer diagnosis, the woman is accompanied in her therapeutic journey by being taken care of by the professionals belonging to the Breast Unit of Modena (central-southern area of the province) and Carpi (northern area of the province). The data extrapolated from our IT system highlights that in 2022 the extension of the program is significantly higher than the regional average. The success of the mammographic screening is that of having identified 350 tumor forms (adherent women: 61,708), of which 87.5% in the early stage, i.e. tumor forms that undergo conservative surgery and which often do not require chemotherapy , with a good quality of life”.
Trande: “Those who adhere to screening have a 50-60% lower risk of dying from colorectal cancer than those who do not adhere”
“In these 16 years we have achieved important results which make the advantage, in terms of mortality and incidence (number of new cases per year), brought by the screening program increasingly evident – he states Paolo Trande, Head of colorectal screening -. Personal advantage because for those who join, the risk of developing and dying from colorectal cancer is reduced by 50-60%, and general public health advantages, since the incidence and mortality have dropped by around 30%. Testing for occult blood and having a colonoscopy, which today is essentially painless, in the event of a positive test, is a wise choice, which protects against the onset of the disease (removal of the “polyps” before they become malignant) and also guarantees in case of illness, a very early diagnosis. Early diagnosis means that the disease is often treatable with endoscopy alone or with minimally invasive surgical interventions and, very importantly, almost always without chemotherapy. Colorectal screening is simple, free, in case of disease it saves lives and makes it disease-free”
Tortolani Vincent: “Identify and treat lesions before they can evolve”
“The cervical screening program allows for the early identification of dysplastic lesions of the uterine neck secondary to papilloma virus (HPV) infection and, when necessary, to treat them before they can evolve into malignant lesions – he adds Francesca Tortolani Vincent, Head of Cervical Screening -. Any in-depth examinations and/or treatments are offered free of charge and are managed and organized within the screening program in a safe process in which the woman is accompanied and followed by competent and qualified personnel. There are over 30 clinics where level I tests (Pap tests, HPV tests) are carried out and are distributed throughout the provincial territory, similarly the locations where in-depth examinations (colposcopy) and any treatments are performed are present in all districts from a perspective of proximity and equity of the path”.