MILAN (ITALPRESS) – Novartis launches the campaign “We are teaming up: we play ahead against the risk of relapse of breast cancer”, promoting a model that is based on the shared commitment between clinicians, patient associations, institutions and industry, where the person is not only accompanied, but is an active part in the management of his own path of care. The campaign “Let us make team”, supported by four associations of Italian patients – ANDOS, Europa Donna Italia, Fondazione IncontraDonna e Salute Donna ODV -, promotes collaboration between all the interlocutors of the health system engaged in breast cancer and offers concrete support to people who face the disease, providing information resources, even online, through the site “It’s time of life” and its dedicated social channels, to help them to better understand their own goals. The campaign uses the metaphor of team sports to illustrate how collaboration and ability to “anticipate play” are fundamental. Exceptional testimonial is Rita Guarino, coach and reference figure of Italian and international female football. Breast cancer is the most frequent neoplasia in women in Italy, with about 54,000 new cases estimated in 2025. Although early diagnosis and therapeutic advances have greatly improved the prospects, about one out of five women can face a recovery of the disease in the first ten years, a risk that may persist for decades. When it occurs, relapse often occurs as a metastatic disease, with a significant impact on patients’ lives. This scenario makes it more and more central to the challenge of optimizing the grip in the long run, with particular attention to the management of the risk of relapse. “In breast cancer, recurrence prevention is increasingly linked to the ability to integrate therapeutic innovation and system vision – says Simona Loizzo, Deputy and President of the Parliamentary Intergroup “New therapeutic Frontiers in Mammella Tumors”. Institutions can play a key role in facilitating more timely and equitable access to innovation, supporting models of taking charge that can improve the health outcomes and sustainability of the National Health Service.” Adjuvant therapies, administered after surgery, are essential to reduce the risk of relapse. In Hormone-sensitive tumors (HR+/HER2-), which make up about 70% of all new diagnoses, the addition of targeted therapies such as CDK4/6 inhibitors to endocrine therapy has proven to be an effective option to reduce the risk of relapse. “The risk that cancer may return varies from person to person and depends on different clinical and biological aspects of the disease – says Giulia Valeria Bianchi, Oncologist – S.S. Oncology Medical Senological, IRCCS Foundation National Institute of Tumors –. Today, thanks to targeted therapies added to endocrine therapy more and more people with early breast cancer and intermediate-high risk of relapse can look to the future with greater serenity: up to about 80% of patients remain free from relapse at a distance of years. The available therapeutic options also vary in terms of timing and tolerability profiles, and it is therefore essential that the choice of treatment be customized, taking into account the clinical characteristics and needs of the person.” But the challenge is not only clinical: the management of breast cancer also involves the informative and emotional sphere. A study by Novartis recently published on JMIR Cancer, which analysed online conversations (more than 20,000 public posts) in Italy on breast cancer in the early stage, highlights strong emotional concerns, inflation demandclear prayers and the need for a more transparent dialogue with healthcare professionals. In another Novartis research conducted with IQVIA on 80 women with localized breast cancer, it is evidenced that only 45% of patients feel fully informed about the risk of relapse, while 59% seek more information on online channels, all underlining the importance of a clearer sharing of therapeutic goals between doctor and patient from the start of adjuvant treatment. This data confirms how the path after surgery requires adequate support for people, along all stages of disease management. Gabriella Pravettoni, Professor of Psychology of Decisions, University of Milan; Director of the Division of Psychology, European Institute of Oncology, stresses: “After surgery many women want to return to normal, but the risk of relapse remains a silent thought, difficult to express. This is why an early and open dialogue with the multidisciplinary team is essential: speaking from the beginning of what to expect, the controls and therapies available helps to give a sense of control and to live this phase with greater awareness.” Patient associations become increasingly an integral part of the team that supports the patient along the path of care. Novartis research conducted with IQVIA has evidenced that about 1 person out of 4 with breast cancer addresses patient associations to receive information and emotional support. “The risk management of recurrence requires a real teamwork, in which the person is the protagonist, aware of his risk and his path of treatment after surgery – says Anna Maria Mancuso, President of Health Women ODV and Coordinator of the project “Health: a good to defend, a right to promote”, as a choral voice of patient associations that support the campaign -. Information, listening and dialogue are fundamental tools to allow people to orientate themselves between therapeutic choices and address the path with greater confidence.”It is from listening to the needs expressed by people who face the disease that takes shape the campaign “Left team” of Novartis. “For more than 35 years Novartis has been committed to breast cancer with an approach that goes beyond therapeutic innovation and aims to contribute to an ever more attentive treatment path to the needs of people – says Chiara Gnocchi, Communication & Advocacy Head of Novartis Italy – With ‘We will team up, through collaboration with patient associations, we want to offer concrete support with reliable and accessible content, to accompany people through useful information and practical experience.”.
– photo press office Novartis –(ITALPRESS).
