“The virus has held back cancer screening. Heavy damage "

What other "collateral damage" has Covid caused?

“In 2021 we had problems related to the operating theaters and the management of surgical cases. Last year 400 thousand surgeries were missed in Italy due to the virus, even if in the oncology field we tried to safeguard the interventions in which it was necessary to intervene quickly to avoid the worsening of the clinical picture. To this we must add the fact that intensive care is still, for the most part, occupied by Covid patients, in the clear majority no vax, to understand how much the situation is still very far from normal ".

Can we make up for lost time?

“Now we are trying to catch up. Resources have arrived, others will be available in the coming months. It is clear that it will take time. The important thing is that people with confidence return to prevention. Breast cancer, the most frequent in Italy with 55 thousand new cases a year, thanks to early diagnosis, becomes an enemy that can be beaten. In this way the chances of success increase considerably ».

What does it mean to believe in prevention?

“It is important that people have confidence and spontaneously do the screening without waiting for an invitation from the health services. I observe the specific field of my activity, but the appeal concerns all oncological pathologies: It is necessary that all women, even the youngest, do not neglect prevention. Prevention can make a difference. We now have the opportunity to tackle cancer effectively. For cases diagnosed with mammography and pre-clinical ultrasound there are excellent chances of recovery. It is very important to carry out the fecal occult blood test. Everyone, after the age of 50, should receive an invitation to do this very simple examination in the pharmacy ».

Is there a risk that two years of health emergency could change the progress that oncology has made in recent decades?

«We are taking steps backwards in prevention but, fortunately, oncological and biomedical research on new therapies has not stopped. Last autumn, at the congress of the European Society of Medical Oncology, studies and research were presented that lead us to be optimistic. They show the efficacy of innovative drugs in patients with advanced breast cancer. The research in these two years has produced interesting results not only for the treatment of breast tumors. We are in a period of great revolution on the research front. We see the possibility of curing advanced-stage cancers, situations that previously did not give great hopes. I think that in the next few years it will be possible to see even more interesting results ».

Umberto Veronesi, his father.

«A great teacher, we worked together for thirty years, side by side, until he stopped working, a few months before leaving us. Until he was 90 he never stopped a day. The teaching he left me? Aside from the technique, surgery and diagnosis of breast cancer, it taught me to have a good relationship with patients. They loved it. He has created relationships of true friendship, esteem, respect and great trust with them. I try to put his ideas and values into practice. Patients' trust in the doctor is the prerequisite for achieving a cure. If a patient trusts the doctor, she gets better treatment, follows the instructions, does not go looking for alternative therapies which can be, as we have seen in the recent past, very dangerous ».

Trust is a recurring word in this interview.

«You have to have faith in medicine and science. It is necessary to contact the doctor immediately, at the first symptom, and it is necessary to refer to centers of excellence for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer: the so-called "breast units" are active in all regions, certified by our health system and recognized by the Ministry of Health".

Massimiliano Rais