Investigations in Belluno without transfers to Treviso with the donation of one hundred thousand euros of Nuovi Traguardi
BELLUNO. “Thanks to the donation funds, the samples of peripheral blood, marrow, lymph nodes and suspicious masses of neoplasia sent by the oncology department have no longer been diverted to the Treviso hospital, but have been examined and reported in Belluno”.
This was stated by Graziano Pianezze, president of the Nuovi Traguardi association which for years has been fighting against blood diseases, during the shareholders’ meeting held a few days ago at the “Al Capannone” restaurant-pizzeria in Sedico.
An assembly during which the progress of the project for the development of the cytofluorimetry sector of the analysis laboratory of the San Martino di Belluno hospital was made, launched at the end of 2019 on the proposal of the Local Health Authority 1 Dolomiti and financed by Nuovi Milestones with 100 thousand euros.
«Initially», explained Pianezze, «the project envisaged using the amount for the purchase of a tissue homogenizer for the preparation of lymph node sections for flow cytometry (about 20 thousand euros plus VAT); for the acquisition of some cell differentiation markers for the in-depth study of oncohematological diseases (about 40 thousand euros plus VAT); to finance about 400 additional hours in a year for the in-depth diagnostic activity in flow cytometry of laboratory technicians in the hematology sector (about 30 thousand euros) “.
Despite the difficulties related to the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the activity of technical personnel specially trained for the cytofluorimetry sector to be channeled into virological diagnostics in February 2020, some progress has been made, as was communicated to the association by the director of the analysis laboratory.
“Thanks to the donation funds”, Pianezze explained, “the samples of peripheral blood, marrow, lymph nodes or suspicious masses of neoplasia sent by the oncology department, have no longer been diverted to the Treviso hospital, but have been examined and reported in Belluno. The start of this activity began with peripheral blood samples and gradually extended to more delicate biological materials (tissues, bone marrow aspirates, various biological fluids ».
In the period February 2020-May 2021, 281 samples of peripheral blood, 20 of bone marrow and 15 of other materials were examined. 23,297 euros from the fund donated by Nuovi Traguardi were used for these activities.
For the near future, it was considered more rational to allocate the portion of the donation initially intended for the purchase of the tissue homogenizer to the purchase of tube-dried monoclonal antibodies. “Since these are ready-to-use test tubes, containing specific cocktails of monoclonal antibodies”, underlined the president Pianezze, “their use will allow us to standardize procedures more, reduce the possibility of errors linked to the manual skills of the operators, shorten the times of processing of samples and gradually expand the diagnostic capacity towards a greater number of oncohematological pathologies “.
The activity of Nuovi Traguardi did not however end like this. During the assembly, the help desk of the psycho-oncologist Leonardo Stiz was remembered who in 2012 worked three hours a week and today is 12. “This,” said Pianezze, “confirms the great value of the project developed with the Belluno section. of Ados, the Association of women operated on the breast ».
The president then reported that during 2020 the purchase in Switzerland of the drug Pipobromane, no longer on the market in Italy, continued for patients intolerant to Hydroxyurea.