The new book by Paolo Veronesi published in the series “Sciences for life” (Sonzogno), conceived and directed by Eliana Liotta: research and treatments to fight breast cancer
“I think I remember each of the eight thousand women operated on in these years of profession”. Paolo Veronesi’s first surgery dates back to 1982. «At that time there were 30 thousand cases of breast cancer a year, now they have almost doubled, we are at 57 thousand. But there have been many advances in therapies and mortality today is 15% ». The title of Veronesi’s latest book, published a few days ago in the series “Sciences for life” (Sonzogno), conceived and directed by Eliana Liotta, is strong: “The victory over cancer”. «It is a wish, what we are fighting for – explains Liotta -. But the real victory is being able to help women with breast cancer ». The book will be presented by the author together with Eliana Liotta and Camila Raznovich on Thursday 3 February at 6.30 pm at the Feltrinelli in piazza Piemonte 2/4, Milan.
Professor Veronesi, how do you remember each patient you have treated?
“I think it is essential that a relationship of trust is established between the patient and the doctor, also made up of details that remain etched in the memory. Each patient has individual and unique characteristics ».
How have breast cancer treatments changed?
“In recent years there has been a real revolution in oncology. Immunotherapy has given thousands of people years of life. So-called target therapies, which have a specific molecular target, have been perfected. Cyclin inhibiting drugs, combined with hormonal treatments, have also brought significant benefits to patients. Today, even those with advanced cancer with metastases can hope to recover. There is an incredible ferment in the research on new drugs, especially for breast cancer ».
World Cancer Day is celebrated on 4 February. What impact has the pandemic had on cancer?
“The consequences are heavy. Screening for early detection was blocked, mainly because people avoided going to hospital out of fear. We are slowly catching up with a 2 year lag. Patients who are diagnosed with breast cancer today have clinical situations that are on average more serious than those we saw before the pandemic. It means that many early diagnoses are “skipped”. Fortunately, as I said, there have been many improvements in the therapies ».
What do the patients ask?
“The most frequent question is whether they will be able to have children, despite the tumor. The answer is yes, today it is possible to reconcile the disease with a future pregnancy. There are several techniques to allow the patient to protect her fertility even during anti-cancer treatments, which as we know are heavy “.
In the book he wrote that vaccine research for Covid is intertwined with oncology. In what sense?
‘The platforms on which mRna vaccines were synthesized were originally designed to develop vaccines against cancer. The idea is to make the cells produce antigens present on the cancer cells. A mechanism that could be decisive to avoid relapses and to protect high-risk patients “.
«July 2, 1981 was a historic date for breast cancer – we read in the book -. On the prestigious magazine The New England Journal of Medicine the clinical study was published which demonstrated for the first time how small tumors can be treated with the same effectiveness by preserving the breast, rather than by removing it completely, as was then the practice all over the world “. The chapter is entitled “My father’s revolution” (Umberto Veronesi): can you tell us about it?
“At the time, the dogma of oncology was to remove the entire organ affected by the tumor. A cultural revolution started from my father’s intuition, the central objective of which was to preserve the body, starting with the breast. To describe the psychological impact of the disease, my father said: “It is not difficult to remove a tumor from a woman’s breast. It’s hard to get it out of her head “.”
February 3, 2022 (change February 3, 2022 | 09:09)
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