When one thinks of female cancers, the thought immediately goes to the breast, the organ most affected with 55 thousand new cases in 2020. But unfortunately the cancers that target the female universe are many others: colorectal, lung, thyroid, melanoma , ovary, uterus and cervix. These are the forms of cancer that most affect women, with 182,000 new cases a year. To raise awareness on the importance of correct lifestyles and early diagnosis, ‘Neoplasiadonna’, the communication campaign conceived by Aiom, the Italian Association of Medical Oncology and made possible by the non-conditioning educational grant of Astrazeneca, kicks off.
Cancer: personalized prevention and a new mutational model
by Irma D’Aria
Lung cancer and melanoma on the rise
Covid has caused serious delays in screening and today the numbers are rising. Among those that in recent years have increased sharply in the female population are lung cancer, caused by smoking and melanoma, due to lack of sun protection and incorrect exposure. “Today more than 1.9 million women live with an oncological pathology – he underlines Saverio Cinieri, president Aiom. In 2020, 55,000 new cases of breast cancer and 8,300 of the uterus were diagnosed. Survival also increases, with 88% for the breast, 79% for the endometrium and 68% for the cervix, but it is necessary to intervene so that we can age in health ”.
Breast cancer, genomic tests indicated for one patient in 5. But not everywhere they are available
by Tiziana Moriconi
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is unfortunately often discovered at an advanced stage, with a survival of 43%. It is one of the most aggressive gynecological pathologies, for which specific screening does not yet exist. “Attention to lifestyles and secondary prevention through screening – continues Cinieri – can really improve the picture. The change in harmful habits comes in handy especially when we talk about lung cancer: in recent years there has been a strong increase in the female population, caused by the long wave of the 70s, a period in which the smoking habit was particularly widespread among women. Today we see the effects: to reverse this trend it is important to never start, or to commit to quitting as soon as possible “.
Advanced breast cancer, how the treatment changes
by Dario Rubino
The delays caused by the pandemic
To weigh then is the effect of the pandemic which, unfortunately, will continue to be felt for a long time. “In the last two years, due to the pandemic, we have seen a significant decrease in screenings carried out, even by 2.5 million – he explains Giovanni Swaps, scientific director of the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital Foundation IRCCS and President of Agui, Italian University Gynecologists Association. “People were afraid to go to hospital and therefore underestimated the importance of checks. We want to sensitize women to secondary prevention also to make up for these delays ”.
All the tools for prevention
The aim of the Aiom campaign is precisely to remember how important it is to prevent prevention, especially considering that today the weapons we have at our disposal are many, but we must overcome the fear of contagion. “Mammography, available in some regions from the age of 45, allows to reduce the mortality rate of cancer by 30%, but after Covid more than 816 thousand fewer tests were performed (-28%)”, continues Scambia. “From the age of 50 it is possible to search for occult blood in the faeces, and then continue with an endoscopic examination in case of positivity, but here too the percentage of Italians who undergo the test has decreased, with one million and 200 thousand tests not carried out. HPV vaccination, on the other hand, protects against cervical disease and the latest research shows that it can be useful even up to the age of 45. To identify them early, the pap test is also available: also in this case, the exams not performed in the period January 2020-May 2021 were over 780 thousand (-35%) compared to 2019 “.
Don’t underestimate the moles
Another disease in which prevention is essential is melanoma, the third most frequent cancer under the age of 50 and the most aggressive among skin cancers. “Fortunately – explains Scambia – it is possible to identify it early, with self-checks of the moles and annual visits to the dermatologist, who with special instruments can identify any lesions and carry out the necessary checks. It is also essential to protect yourself from the sun and avoid tanning lamps, which are very dangerous especially at a young age. In 2020, there were 14,900 new diagnoses of skin melanoma. Of these, 6,700 affected women ”.
The chronicity of the tumor
Although the cancers affecting women are on the rise, scientific research with its progress today allows us to obtain results that were unexpected until a few years ago. “Survival is increased, therapies are better tolerated and allow you to maintain a good quality of life even during the course of treatment,” he adds. Fabio Puglisi, director of the Department of Medical Oncology, Irccs Oncological Reference Center of Aviano and full professor of medical oncology at the University of Udine. “For women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer it is now increasingly common to get the disease to become chronic. Recent studies underline that the increasing improvement in survival observed in the last ten years is due to the combination of several factors such as screening and treatment of cancer in both early and advanced stages. It is therefore essential to intervene with projects that recall the importance of early diagnosis, strengthening campaigns that encourage adherence to screening and the use of healthy lifestyles ”.
The good habits of prevention
The role of patient associations that can be a stimulus is fundamental. “In Italy, today, there are only 834 thousand women with breast cancer,” she says Adriana Bonifacino, president of IncontraDonna Onlus. The chances of survival are very high and much of this result is due to screenings, which year after year have become part of the good habits of the female population. The stop that was recorded due to the pandemic is an important alarm bell that pushes us to invest all our forces, as associations, to encourage the resumption of controls. Particular attention is required to those who have cases of breast or ovarian neoplasms in the family, or with an ascertained BRCA 1 and 2 genetic mutation, therefore with very high probability of developing them in the course of life. Regular self-examination in young people and mammograms in adults can favorably change the outcome of a diagnosis. We are very happy with the development of a project aimed at women, to remind them that they are not alone in the prevention and fight against cancer ”.
The ‘Neoplasiadonna’ campaign
The AIOM campaign provides for the creation of a guide on prevention that will be distributed in major Italian cities, social activities, interviews and discussions with clinicians and patients, one-to-one awareness meetings and a commercial, the importance of take care of your health and do not underestimate routine checkups. “We are proud to collaborate with AIOM on such an important initiative – he declares Mirko Merletti, Vice President Oncology AstraZeneca – because prevention is the real winning weapon against cancer. 50% of diseases can be avoided by adopting healthy lifestyles and early diagnosis can save the life of those who have already contracted a cancer. For those who, like us, are involved in treating oncological pathologies, it is encouraging to participate in a project capable of highlighting the great benefits of self-care and participation in screening. Today they are available for the breast, colorectal and uterus, are free and aimed at the age groups most at risk. Executing them can really save your life ”.