After those related to beauty, nutrition, physical activity, comes the routine linked to prevention, routine screening. In fact, this is the name of the breast cancer prevention campaign launched by Roche Italia and Fujifilm Italia which, for the first time, join forces and take the field together and alongside the Health System to try to stem one of the consequences of the emergency Covid which we risk seeing the effects in the coming years: the drastic decline in mammograms performed as part of prevention programs. The data from the National Screening Observatory testify to this: in the first 5 months of 2020, those most strongly impacted by the pandemic, there was in fact a decrease in mammography screening equal to 53.8% compared to 2019, with an accumulated delay of 2 , 7 months, which is estimated could translate into an increase in 5-year breast cancer mortality between 8 and 9%.
“Screening Routine” was created to respond to this emergency in an effective and collaborative way. “The pandemic has taught us the value of joining forces and activating synergies between public and private, to respond to the challenges dictated by the emergency. Hence the extraordinary collaboration with Fujifilm ”, said Maurizio de Cicco, President and CEO of Roche Italia. “In line with the direction also traced by the PNRR, we want to take the opportunity to evolve our approach from a pharmaceutical company traditionally focused on drug research and development to a partner of the System, able to offer integrated solutions and services, focusing on recovery of prevention, better articulation of healthcare in the area, digitalization and technological equipment, enhancement of human capital, through research and training “.
The concrete sign of this collaboration are the latest generation mammographs donated to 10 healthcare companies, identified and selected by Fucina Sanità as an independent external partner: Asl 1 of Imperia; Hospital (AO) S. Croce and Carle di Cuneo; Local Health Authority (ASST) of Lodi; Local Health Authority 9 Scaligera of Verona; USL Umbria 1 of Perugia; ASL Rome 3; ASL 2 Lanciano Vasto Chieti in Chieti; ASL Napoli 2 Nord; Provincial Health Authority of Cosenza; Provincial Health Authority of Palermo. “To decide which facilities the machines would go to, we considered how much delay had accumulated in the first months of the pandemic, how dated the existing machines were, that the donation was consistent with regional health plans, that there was adequate representation of the entire national territory and a good balance between metropolitan cities and small towns ”, explains Fulvio Moirano, sole director of Fucina Sanità.
The latest generation mammograms allow you to use a lower amount of radiation, to make the examination less painful and faster. In addition, they have a very advanced quality and definition of the images, thus allowing to find tumor masses more effectively. “Being able to identify the tumor in the early stages increases the chances of survival, allows you to intervene in a less important way, with a positive effect on the quality of life”, explained Giordano Beretta, president of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology that sponsors the campaign together. to SIRM (Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology), GISMa (Italian Mammographic Screening Group), FAVO (Italian Federation of Voluntary Associations in Oncology) and Cittadinazattiva. “Finally, it translates into savings for the health system because it will have to invest less in those patients and thus free up resources to invest in innovative drugs and therapies”.
However, the “Screening Routine” campaign does not end there: it wants to talk to women and it wants to do it through an unusual channel, online shopping. In fact, market research shows that in this difficult moment, online purchases related to well-being have not suffered, indeed they have increased a lot. Hence, in the coming months, the most popular e-commerce sites will convey messages to raise awareness and involve Italian women, inviting them to give priority back to a ritual that is precious for their health and well-being: that of routine screening. “Screening Routine” focuses on a dramatic situation such as the lack of access to breast screening services during the pandemic, aiming at an all-out collaboration between the actors of the System, and at an innovative communication platform that uses an unusual language and new ways for the sector ”, said Davide Campari, General Manager Fujifilm Italia div. Medical Systems.
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