Bladder cancer represents the fifth most common cancer in Italy and in urology it is second only to prostate cancer: more common between the ages of 60 and 70, it is three times more frequent in men than in women. Precisely to raise awareness of this pathology and promote knowledge of the symptoms, thus favoring the diagnosis, Merck Italia, the Italian affiliate of Merck, a leading company in the scientific and technological field, has launched the campaign ‘En route to prevention’, sponsored by the Palinuro Association – Patients free from urothelial neoplasms and Siuro – Italian Society of Uro-Oncology. The initiative, which starts on the occasion of Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, intends to represent prevention as a journey, which starts first of all from awareness and knowledge of the pathology.
A large suitcase will stop in three Italian cities (Milan, Rome and Bari), symbolizing the wealth of knowledge necessary to best deal, with the right information and tools, with a pathology that requires priority attention and in which the lack of specific initial symptoms may hinder an early diagnosis. “For a company like ours, which likes to define itself as ‘In love with care’ – states Iris Buttinoni, Head of Communication at Merck Italia – taking care of patients and those who take care of them means responding to all unmet needs : not only therapeutic needs, but also health education needs. We want to respond to these information needs by always experimenting with new methods and new languages and channels, also in collaboration with associations that have always been attentive to the dissemination and awareness of pathologies, which can help us to reach broader audiences”
The Merck trolley, decorated with the graphics and colors of ‘Per Te’, the communication concept that represents Merck Italia’s commitment to oncology – explains a note – will be present in each of the cities involved for an entire weekend (Milan 25 -26 May; 1-2 June; Rome 8-9). Visitors to this very particular stand will be able to participate in a themed play moment: there will be a dartboard with fabric balls, to ‘target’ the various elements useful for primary and secondary prevention, and they will be invited to fill out a questionnaire to understand how much they know of this pathology. All those who take part in the initiative will be given themed materials and information leaflets containing a QR code which will link to short informative videos in which pathology experts will provide more details on the same.
“We are very happy to be able to sponsor a campaign like this which involves citizens directly in the area – explained Edoardo Fiorini, president of Palinuro – since we manage to attract attention and spread knowledge to a large number of people. Unfortunately, when we talk about bladder cancer, we know that it is a pathology that does not require preventive screening. It is therefore important to try to make an early diagnosis by picking up the signals that, in most cases, are provided to us through the blood in the urine”. Blood in the urine (haematuria) is unfortunately a non-specific symptom, which can also be traced back to other pathologies, and not just to bladder cancer. However, this manifestation should never be overlooked and should always be reported to your doctor, as it can allow for a timely diagnosis of this neoplasm.
According to data from the Cancer Registry – the note recalls – in Italy on average every year there are estimated to be around 29,700 new cases of bladder cancer, considering both the infiltrating and superficial forms. Symptoms may be subtle and hematuria, or the presence of blood in the urine, may occur intermittently. It is therefore essential to immediately report any suspicious signs to the family doctor in order to carry out tests and arrive at a timely diagnosis. Although the majority of bladder tumors are superficial in nature, the risk of recurrence (estimated recurrence rate between 50% and 80%) in the bladder remains significant and for this reason bladder cancer requires careful surveillance. The tumor can present in different stages and can be associated with different characteristics that make it more or less aggressive. For this reason, an accurate evaluation of the characteristics of the tumor, through a complete diagnostic process, is essential for choosing the most suitable therapeutic procedure for the individual patient. Recognizing a potential bladder tumor early on significantly increases the chances of successful treatment.
Among the risk factors, cigarette smoking is the main one, as it plays an irritating and carcinogenic role on the bladder mucosa. Exposure to toxic chemicals, such as dyes and industrial solvents, is also linked to the disease. With the ‘Journeying to Prevention’ campaign, Merck intends to spread greater awareness of the importance of early diagnosis, to help improve the management of bladder cancer by supporting the value of quality of life for cancer patients.
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