73% of Italian adults follow at least one unhealthy lifestyle. Specifically: 19% are regular smokers, 33% are sedentary, do not practice any form of physical activity or sport and 15% consume excessive alcohol. These behaviors are very dangerous because they can increase the risk of cancer. To promote healthy habits among the population of all age groups, Fondazione Aiom, the Italian Association of Medical Oncology, is launching the new national campaign ‘Tumors, choose prevention’. Presented today at a press conference in Rome, the initiative, created with the unconditional contribution of Daiichi Sankyo Italia, includes activities aimed at the entire population, especially women, including an information booklet, webinars for citizens, podcasts and social activities. The testimonial for the entire campaign is the multiple Italian champion football coach Massimiliano Allegri. The project – we read in a note – also wants to show how innovation in oncology can open new perspectives of chronicity and even healing in many forms of cancer.
“In Italy, in recent years, we have seen a constant improvement in survival rates for many cancers,” emphasizes Saverio Cinieri, president of the Aiom Foundation. “The number of lives saved is also increasing thanks to the increase in early diagnosis and new therapies. These are encouraging data, but every year we have to record over 180,000 deaths caused by cancer. Cancer continues to have a strong impact on our society and the National Health Service. Then there is the inevitable increase in the number of new cases due to the general aging of the population. Age, in fact, represents a significant oncological risk factor that we cannot intervene on. As the claim of our campaign states,” he continues, “’Avoiding cancer through healthy lifestyles is possible.’ The main rules of prevention must therefore be reiterated, such as quitting smoking, following the Mediterranean diet, exercising regularly, and fighting excessive alcohol consumption. In fact, up to 40% of cancer cases and 50% of deaths are attributable to smoking, being overweight or alcohol.”
In our country, “there are over 3.5 million people living with a cancer diagnosis,” explains Paolo Marchetti, president of the Foundation for Personalized Medicine. “They are people who are undergoing major therapies with potentially significant side effects,” or who “have completed active treatments and must undergo regular follow-up exams to monitor any evolution of the disease. Cancer patients can also benefit significantly by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, during and after treatment. This helps prevent the recurrence of the tumor, promotes a positive response to therapies, and improves the quality of life after treatment. The rules and importance of tertiary prevention must therefore also be disseminated to the population.”
In 2023, in Italy, 395 thousand new cases of cancer were estimated, affecting 208 thousand men and 187 thousand women. In just 3 years, the increase amounts to over 18 thousand cases. “The most widespread cancer in absolute terms is breast cancer, with 834 thousand people living after the diagnosis of the disease – recalls Antonella Campana, Patient Advocate of Fondazione IncontraDonna – Its onset can also be influenced by modifiable risk factors, primarily overweight and obesity. Metabolic syndrome also plays a harmful role: it is another condition closely linked to incorrect lifestyles. As Fondazione IncontraDonna, also through Fondazione Aiom, we are committed to promoting a concrete culture of active prevention”.
“On the therapeutic front – adds Cinieri – breast cancer is a neoplasm in which innovation has brought great benefits. In particular, in recent years, significant therapeutic innovations have been introduced that have allowed the successful treatment of even the most serious forms. This is the case of ‘conjugated antibodies’, which have opened up significant prospects in breast tumors that were previously untreatable. A cross-cutting approach is needed to combat breast cancer in particular. On the one hand, primary prevention, on the other, early diagnosis and, therefore, adherence to screening programs, which is still too low in our country. With our campaign ‘Tumors, choose prevention’ we intend to convince more and more women to undergo mammography, especially in the Southern Regions”.
In this regard, “the national average of participation in organized mammographic screening in our country is less than 50% – says Rosanna D’Antona, president of Europa Donna Italia – with unacceptable peaks, such as 8.6% in Calabria, 22.7% in Sardinia or 27.3% in Sicily. We need to act urgently: both towards women, to raise awareness of adhering to screening programs, and towards institutions, so that they facilitate access. A survey conducted by Iqvia in 2023 showed that 8% of women do not know about organized mammographic screening, 20% are not called and, among the women called, there is still a quota who do not join (about 13%) mainly because they have little confidence in the National Health Service. And so we aim to improve the calling method, to make access homogeneous between 45 and 74 in all Regions and to verify the level of familiarity from the first access to screening”.
As Allegri reiterates, “we must stay away from tumors: we must follow the healthy lifestyles suggested by oncology specialists. I have been involved in the world of sport for 50 years, first as an athlete and then as a coach. Football has taught me many things and given me many emotions. I have learned that every challenge can be won and that to do so it is essential to work hard and follow some rules. Even the challenge against cancer, and many other serious diseases, can be faced by safeguarding our body as much as possible, through prevention. I have therefore decided, with great pleasure, to support the national campaign of the friends of the Aiom Foundation”.
“Our company is also pleased to support and make possible the new educational project of the Aiom Foundation – concludes Mauro Vitali, Head of Oncology Business Division of Daiichi Sankyo Italia – Tumors continue to have a strong impact on the lives of millions of people in our country, as well as in the rest of the world. They cannot be underestimated and primary prevention is one of the most important strategies at our disposal to defeat them. It must also be encouraged through correct information activities among the entire population”.
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