MILAN (ITALPRESS) – An intense and authentic story that accompanies the viewer on the journey of a woman who receives the diagnosis of breast cancer. A path made of fragility and uncertainty, but also of strength, awareness and confidence in scientific research. This is what says “The Baggage”, the docufilm promoted by MSD Italia in collaboration with ANDOS onlus Nazionale, Europa Donna Italia, Fondazione IncontraDonna, Komen Italia, Salute Donna ODV, realized by the production house Brandon Box.Through the voice and the look of the protagonist, Martina, the docufilm explores the deepest emotions that follow a diagnosis of cancer. But, above all, it launches a fundamental message: each tumor is different, as the path of every woman facing it is different. The message is underlined by the competent and passionate voice of the presidents of the five Associations of patients who collaborated on the realization of the docufilm. They bring experiences, data and concrete perspectives, contributing to highlight the value of collaboration between patients, clinicians, institutions, industry and reaffirm the importance of personalized care paths for every woman after diagnosis, from the choice of therapies to psychosocial support. “The baggage” will be available on the MSD YouTube channel and on www.thumour-seno.it. “The baggage” is more than a docufilm: it is an invitation to awareness, to trust in science and hope. “ Patients ask for more information at every stage of their path: to be able to choose to be treated in a specialized center and to know from the diagnosis the characteristics of your tumor, so as to access the most appropriate paths and therapies. In this journey, patient associations represent a valuable support: they help to lighten the weight of the “bathroom” that each brings, and to become a spokesman for patient requests at an institutional level. “Every woman has the right to a time, a dedicated space, a personalized path and a support both physical and psychological.” Representatives of ANDOS onlus Nazionale, Europa Donna Italia, Fondazione IncontraDonna, Komen Italia, Salute Donna ODV, who were valuable partners of the project. Breast cancer remains the most frequent neoplasia among women in Italy, with about 53,600 new diagnoses estimated in 2024. Thanks to the progress of research, early diagnosis and increasingly personalized therapies, today 88% of patients are alive five years after diagnosis: Currently there are 925.000, in our country, women who live with a history of breast cancer. One of the main scientific goals achieved in recent years is the possibility of attributing to each breast cancer a real identity card, identifying different forms of disease. This approach has altered the path of patients and improved their grip. “The biological typing of the tumor – that is the analysis of its molecular characteristics – is fundamental to establish the most effective therapeutic strategy. Today a woman must not only be aware of having a tumor but must know, from the diagnosis, what subtype it is,” comments Michelino De Laurentiis, director SC Oncologia Clinica Sperimentale di Senologia, Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fondazione Pascale, Naples. “It is only on the basis of this information that it is possible to draw the customized path for each patient, evaluating whether to proceed immediately with surgery or with a systemic therapy already before surgery.” For this reason it is essential that women address themselves to the Breast Units, specialized centres that ensure a multidisciplinary and coordinated approach. “In these senologists, oncologists, radiologists, anatomologists, radiotherapists, nurses and psychologists work together from the diagnosis to build a personalized therapeutic path, based on the latest scientific evidence and the specific needs of the patient.” Carmen Criscitiello, Associate Professor at Humanitas University and Responsible for the Mummy Oncology Group at IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital in Rozzano (MI). “An organizational model, now recognized as the reference standard at European level, which is rewriting the history of breast cancer, offering new possibilities of care and increasing hope even in more complex cases.” The suitcase – the luggage – that Martina fills and carries with it from the first scenes of the doculfilm is full of fears and hopes, but also of confidence in the research that has allowed to draw for her, as for other women, a path cut to measure. “Research is really rewriting the history of breast cancer,” says Giuseppe Curigliano, Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Milan and Director of the New Pharmaci Development Division at IEO in Milan. “Today we have targeted therapies, immunotherapies, conjugated antibodies and increasingly customised approaches that allow us to offer hope even in more complex cases. Understanding the biological characteristics of each tumor allows us to choose the right treatment for the right patient at the right time. This is true progress: transforming scientific research into life and quality of life for women facing the disease.” As the docufilm shows with great sensitivity, the path of the patient is not only clinical, but deeply human: Martina’s partner is an important presence in the story, as are the doctor and other patients and the network of relationships that gravitates around the protagonist and which are an integral part of his story. “Women face moments of disorientation and vulnerability, in which psychological support and the presence of caregiver are fundamental. The caregiver represents a bridge between clinical practitioners and patient associations, strengthening the therapeutic alliance with the doctor and favoring the active participation of the woman in her own path of care”, says Giampaolo Bianchini, Head of the Mammary Oncology in the Department of Medical Oncology of the IRCS Hospital San Raffaele. Promoting greater awareness among patients, caregivers and citizens on the importance of personalized diagnosticotherapeutic paths, different according to the type of breast cancer, is a topic dear to MSD Italia, which makes correct information one of its pillars. The docufilm “The baggage” fits into this narrative groove and follows another awareness campaign, launched in 2024, “They are not all the same. Breast cancer and life paths.” To do as a trait d’union between the two different projects is the voice of the artist Lucia Ocone. The key moments of the docufilm are in fact underlined by monologue passages with which, in 2024, he narrated the experience of a woman receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer. “As well as prevention and research, correct information is one of the fundamental pillars of our commitment to oncology” – says Nicoletta Luppi, President and CEO Delegata of MSD Italia. – “Because of our mission of bringing innovation where so far there were no therapeutic solutions or prevention opportunities, we feel strongly the responsibility of spreading knowledge on topics of great impact for health. We do this by exploring different channels and languages – from institutional communication to social media, from educational programs to partnerships with scientific societies and patient associations – convinced that only so can a wider audience reach. In this way we promote awareness, promote more timely diagnosis and support more effective treatment paths, focusing people and their needs. In addition, we strengthen collaboration with institutions, scientific communities and territory, to transform quality information into concrete actions for the benefit of patients. We believe in the power of stories: experiences that give voice to people make information closer and more understandable. In particular, cinema, with its universal and emotional language, is a powerful tool for sensitizing and promoting prevention behaviour and correct information. In 2024, MSD invested in research nearly 18 billion dollars destined globally. Thanks to this, 200 innovative drugs and vaccines were discovered, which in 2024 made the difference in the life of 450 million patients. In Italy, the investment of MSD in clinical research in 2024 was 138 million euros, equal to more than 15% of the national total, with 182 active research protocols.-photo print office MSD-(ITALPRESS).
