Even a system that works well can always be improved. This is the premise behind the commitment made between the Emilia Romagna Region, the Italian Association of Medical Oncology and the representatives of the elderly, Senior Italia FederAnziani, with the aim of ever more constant collaboration. “Cancer survival rates in our region are among the highest in all of Italy and it is a sign that we have excellent professionals and a good organization. Certainly there are some aspects that need to be improved and the countless challenges linked, directly or indirectly, to the pandemic must also be addressed “, said Raffaele Donini, Councilor for Health Policies of Emilia-Romagna, during the virtual meeting:” We are working to create the conditions to make the assistance to cancer patients more homogeneous ”.
More integration between hospital and territorial medicine
The event was held as part of the “tour” that the two associations, Aiom and Federanziani, are carrying out to meet all the health councilors in Italy. “The Regional Coordination for the Oncology and Onco-Hematology Network has existed since 2006, even if there is not yet a formalized Cancer Network Plan”, says Gabriele Luppi, Aiom Regional Coordinator for Emilia-Romagna: “However, coordination between the various health structures “. For example, during the first and tragic months after the pandemic, the Oncology Day Hospitals continued to function and this was the demonstration of a good organization between the activities of the major and more peripheral cancer centers. “However, it is necessary to further integrate the activities between hospital and territorial medicine – continues Luppi – as well as identify centers of reference for the management of particularly insidious and difficult to treat neoplasms, such as that of the pancreas. The cancer registries of the various provinces must also be unified and implemented ”.
Emilia-Romagna, the network of breast care centers involves Europa Donna Italia
The burden of stopping screening
As for other Regions, also in Emilia-Romagna the major problems derive from the partial interruption – limited to two months of the first pandemic wave in March and April 2020, now largely recovered – of the screening that took place a year ago due to the Covid. “This requires a further effort by everyone to start a better organization and management of resources”, underlines Giordano Beretta, Aiom National President: “We are witnessing everywhere an increase in cases of cancer diagnosed at a more advanced stage. The Regional Oncological Networks represent the best possible solution and for years, as a Scientific Society, we have been promoting them throughout the national territory. The Covid tragedy had the ‘merit’ of highlighting how there is no longer any time to waste in setting up the Networks “.
One of the priorities now must be to create a stronger connection, also in Emilia-Romagna, between oncological reference centers and territorial medicine. For the near future, however – concludes Roberto Messina, National President of Senior Italia FederAnziani – planning of our health services is necessary because demographic projections indicate that within 10 years we will have 30% of over 65s in our country ”.