TRENTO. A diagnosis of prostate cancer per day, 360 cases per year in Trentino. What makes the difference is prevention. Health is precious: let’s protect it. The musician Caterina Cropelli, the artist Matteo Boato, the president of Ana Section of Trento Paolo Frizzi and the director of the Buonconsiglio Castle Museum Laura Dal Prà say it in unison, telling what they are and their healthy habit. The new initiative of Lilt Trento-Italian League for the fight against cancer entrusted to four testimonials from Trentino, of different ages and professions, who in recent weeks have carried out as many videos dedicated to the theme of health and its protection.
The new communication campaign of the provincial association was unveiled by Dr. Mario Cristofolini and Valentina Cereghini, respectively president and director of the provincial association, during the presentation of the campaign “Lilt for Men-Blue Path” in the conference room of the Caritro Foundation in Trento.
After the “pink month”, November is in fact the month dedicated to raising awareness on male cancers, with the possibility of medical examinations and consultations (by reservation: 0461.922733 – [email protected]) and in many Trentino municipalities blue lights will turn on.
“Life expectancy has greatly increased also thanks to therapies that have at the center the person and the quality of life – said Dr. Orazio Caffo, director of the Santa Chiara Medical Oncology Unit – for prostate cancer we are arrived at the positive result of chronicization and in Italy we have 3 and a half million long-surviving or cured patients. However, men are less responsible than women in the prevention and treatment of lifestyle, and we must insist on the culture of prevention ».
«In Trentino we have 1600 cases of cancer a year in general, the first for incidence is that to the prostate which reaches 22% of diagnosed cancers – said Dr. Francesca Valent, new director of the Epidemiology Service representing the Cancer Registry – It is very frequent: 360 cases per year, one person a day receives the diagnosis, 30% of the residents in the region. The mortality level is 10% and survival reaches high levels: five years after the disease it is 87%, at 10 it is 83% and at 15 it is 71%.
Testicular cancer it is rarer – 20 new cases a year -, and survival is high, almost 100%, but it is the first by incidence: 15% compared to cancers diagnosed in adolescents and young men aged 15 to 49 ».
Awareness is therefore especially aimed at young people, as highlighted by Dr. Tommaso Cai, medical director within the simple structure Coordination of urological activities: “Providing information is fundamental for the purpose of prevention and we proposed to the councilor Segnana a project to take to schools, offering the possibility of free visit.
There is much misinformation also on sexually transmitted diseases and, if women practice breast self-examination, men can learn testicle self-examination and ask for information on everything related to fertility and semen conservation ».
No less important in the therapeutic path is the physical rehabilitation of the musculature that is carried out after the surgery, explained Tiziana Donati, Lilt physiotherapist: “This pelvic gymnastics service is very welcome, the patient feels listened to and reassured and this it helps him to recover well-being. After the operation there may be deficits, incontinence problems that force you to change your lifestyle, but the exercises bring rapid improvements ».
In conclusion, Paolo Frizzi launched the new communication campaign with Valentina Cereghini, disseminated on social channels, recalling the fruitful collaboration of the Trentino section of the National Alpine Association launched at Easter with Lilt Trento.
For the whole month, globally renamed Movember (from the words Mustache, which means mustache, and November, because all over the world membership, all over the world, is made explicit by making the mustache grow), Lilt Trento proposes meetings with specialists: urological visits to the prostate for those who have more than 50 years; urological examinations of the testicles for those between 20 and 50 years old, and consultations for those who want to learn to recognize warning signs and cases of familiarity.