P.giant axes to tackle and manage lung cancer. From new “tailor-made” drugs to over-specialized centers, prevention and treatment are becoming more accessible and less scary. One of the most encouraging initiatives is starting Breathinkthe open innovation project launched by AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical company that has always been committed to identifying therapeutic solutions for those living with a neoplasm. The idea is to collect ideas and external stimuli with the aim of generating innovative solutions that they really can support clinicians, patients and caregivers in dealing with the disease in the best possible way. At the end of the course, the idea deemed most innovative, effective and close to the needs of the stakeholders involved will be selected.
Lung cancer: Breathink is born
The initiative, which started in June 2022, is nationwide and is divided into three phases. Clinics, patient associations, universities, incubators and startups are called upon to identify needs and expected benefits in the management of a pathology that in Italy it causes about 34,000 deaths a yearwith the purpose of seeking innovative and multidisciplinary solutions. In November the entire path is expected to end with a live event in which all the projects will be presented.
“Driven by scientific strength and innovation, AstraZeneca has always been committed to revolutionizing lung cancer care through the development of therapies and services that significantly improve patients’ treatment, survival and quality of life,” he says. Mirko Merletti, Vice President Oncology AstraZeneca. “With 50 clinical trials in the pipeline and over 4,500 patients treated in 2021, we are the first company in Italy for the number of clinical trials and we want to be the protagonists of a further revolutionary change in oncology, taking up the challenges of the scientific community and of patients with lung cancer. , making us promoters of projects such as “Breathink”, which can help the diagnostic-therapeutic path ».
Who is most at risk of developing lung cancer?
The category most at risk for lung cancer is that of smokers: nine out of ten cancers are in fact attributable to cigarette smoking. The risk depends on both the number of cigarettes smoke that since number of years they have smoked but quitting can greatly reduce this risk. In recent years, the incidence (number of new cases in one year) of lung cancer has decreased in men, but it is significantly increased in women and this is due precisely tosmoking, decreased among men but increasing among women. (Source: Umberto Veronesi Foundation).
What is cancer screening and how does it work
The tests used in cancer screening are aimed at healthy people and must therefore have the following characteristics:
- reliability: the test must have a high sensitivity, that is, it must identify with sufficient accuracy who is sick, and a high specificity, that is, it must be able to correctly identify healthy subjects
- safety: screening is aimed at potentially healthy people and therefore the tests used must be minimally invasive and free from side effects
- acceptability: to be effective, a screening program must be adopted by a wide range of people and must therefore be “appreciated” by the target population
- sustainability: being aimed at a large number of people, the health system must have sufficient resources to be able to offer the tests to all
- cinability to modify the course of the tumor: the early diagnosis carried out thanks to screening must allow to be able to affect the progression of the disease, prolonging the survival of the sick and / or saving their lives
TO today there are only three cancer screenings approved and used in clinical practice: that for breast cancer (mammography), that for cervical cancer (pap-test or test for the detection of Papillomavirus HPV) and that for colorectal cancer (search for occult blood in the faeces ). (Source: Umberto Veronesi Foundation)
Lung cancer: the numbers in Italy
Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers with the worst prognosis. Thanks to the difficulty of diagnosing early-stage disease, most patients are found when the cancer is advanced. It is estimated about 41,000 new cases of lung cancer (27,550 in men and 13,300 in women, as of 2020). And the second most frequent neoplasm in men (14%) and the third in women (7%). In 2021 there were about 34,000 deaths from lung cancer, 23,400 in men and 10,000 in women. (Source Cancer numbers in Italy 2021. Intermedia Editore). Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and the second leading cause in women. (SourceAIOM. Lung Neoplasms Guidelines. Edition 2021. Updated October 2021).
The 5-year survival of patients with lung cancer is still limited and adversely affected by the large proportion of patients who are diagnosed with advanced disease. The 5-year net survival after diagnosis is estimated to be 16% in men and 23% in women (Source European Commission. Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. Communication from the commission to the European Parliament and the Council)
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