In October the “train of prevention” for breast cancer returns. The thirteenth edition of 'Frecciarosa' is starting, an initiative of the IncontraDonna Foundation and Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane with the patronage of the Ministry of Health and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and with the participation of the scientific society AIOM (Italian Association of Medical Oncology), organizations and institutions. This edition has also been enriched by a prestigious recognition, the Medal of the President of the Republic for the high social and national value of the initiative. Last year, 25.000 travelers were involved, 15.000 health handbooks were distributed and more than a thousand services were performed on board the train. The aim of the project is to promote the prevention of breast cancer, the most widespread in our country, through a series of initiatives.
In Campania, on October 3rd, there will be the first appointment with the regional train Naples-Sapri at 08:50 (return from Sapri to Naples at 15:38). Another stop is scheduled for next October 17th: Intercity train from Rome to Naples at 11:26 (return from Naples to Rome at 13:29). On board, consultations for the oncological prevention of tumors.
Until October 31st – International Breast Cancer Awareness and Treatment Month – doctors and volunteers will be onboard high-speed trains, as well as on Intercity and regional trains, to reach a broad and diverse audience. The goal is to provide on-board consultations, while the FrecciaLounges at Rome Termini and Milan Central Stations will host an information desk staffed by volunteers to provide information on the importance of prevention and early diagnosis. For the first time, Frecciarosa also plans activities under the patronage of the Lazio Region. From October 19th to 21st, an awareness campaign dedicated to all three screening tests (mammography, Pap test, and fecal occult blood test) will take place at Ostiense Station. Another new feature for the 2023 edition is the distribution of the "Vaccine Disc," an easy-to-use tool for promoting vaccination awareness at all ages. Another key feature remains the distribution on board the trains of the "Health Handbook," an informational brochure on healthy lifestyles aimed at cancer prevention. This year, the booklet has also been translated into English and is available on frecciarosa.it, where teleconsultations will also be held twice a week throughout the month. The campaign was presented today at a press conference in Rome at the headquarters of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, moderated by Alberto Matano, RAI journalist, and Mauro Boldrini, AIOM Communications Director.
Trenitalia's commitment to Frecciarosa underscores how crucial healthcare initiatives are to us. We are proud to partner with the IncontraDonna Foundation and the institutions, particularly the Ministry of Health, to offer citizens and our travelers a health-related service. Our trains also continue the journey toward the well-being of the Italian population, especially women. With the Frecciarosa project," emphasizes Trenitalia President Stefano Cuzzilla, "we therefore want to consolidate and spread a shared culture of cancer prevention, particularly in the fight against breast cancer, by offering comprehensive medical support and specialized services to serve the entire country."
"For 13 years now, the Frecciarosa initiative has represented a consolidated model of community awareness and proximity to the population aimed at conveying messages of health and prevention throughout the country for the benefit of greater awareness on the issues of health and well-being to protect society as a whole - underlines Professor Adriana Bonifacino, President of the IncontraDonna Foundation -. Through the distribution of the Vademecum della Salute on trains, and thanks to the support of our doctors and volunteers, we encourage and involve families, women, men, children and older people, to take care of themselves, we contribute to strengthening the value of our National Health System by offering information and spreading the culture of prevention. This year, the initiative is enriched by the Pilot Stage scheduled in Rome at the Ostiense Station where the mobile polyclinic of the Lazio Region will be positioned, in collaboration with Aslroma2 and IDI IRCSS Roma, on 19-20-21 October where mammograms and ultrasounds will be performed for women aged between 45 and 49, and awareness and booking of the three screenings. Our volunteers and medical staff will be at the complete disposal of the traveling population and not, to provide information and support.”
“I firmly believe that the fight against cancer can only be won through significant investment in prevention,” states Health Minister Orazio Schillaci in the preface to the Vademecum.
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"In 2022 alone, we recorded over 55.700 new cases of breast cancer across the country," says Saverio Cinieri, National President of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM). "Over the past 10 years, we've witnessed a true revolution in treatment. Personalized medicine, immunotherapy, genomics, more in-depth molecular investigations, and more specific pharmacological treatments have yielded significant results. At the same time, we're better able to safeguard patients' quality of life. There are still delays in the approval of the most innovative drugs, and there's strong cultural resistance to enrolling patients in clinical trials. Overall, however, we're seeing improvements that allow us to combat a disease that's steadily growing across the country. The cure rate stands at 66%, while the five-year survival rate is 88%. But too few women are participating in screening campaigns, such as mammography, especially in the southern regions. We must promote secondary prevention: this is also why AIOM and the AIOM Foundation are working hard to address this issue." continue to support the Frecciarosa”.
"Prevention," says Francesco Vaia, Director General of Prevention at the Ministry of Health, "must be our eleventh commandment, starting with lifestyle. Promoting a culture of prevention and early diagnosis is essential, and the Frecciarosa initiative has the merit of actively bringing these issues to the attention of citizens. The campaign is even more important because it involves women, who can be the true protagonists of prevention, through the strategic role they play in society in adopting healthy lifestyles."
"We are proud to be supporting the Incontradonna Foundation again this year," emphasizes Enrica Giorgetti, Director General of Farmindustria, "for the thirteenth edition of the Frecciarosa project. Today, thanks to the pharmaceutical industry's commitment, hundreds of drugs are being developed worldwide for diseases that exclusively or predominantly affect women. This research commitment (which in Italy currently totals nearly €2 billion, of which over €700 million is in clinical trials) is also growing in gender-sensitive areas. These advances in treatments often depend on women, who in our country constitute the majority of R&D efforts."
"One of the greatest responsibilities of Sport e Salute and our entire world is to unite sport with health and prevention," says Diego Nepi Molineris, CEO of Sport e Salute. "Sport heals. Sport prevents. Sport helps you live better. If we all do something together, the results are rewarding. Healthy lifestyles, which Sport e Salute pursues as stated in its bylaws, are certainly a theme that can be shared on trains as well as on the slopes, fields, and gyms. Frecciarosa, the IncontraDonna and Ferrovie dello Stato breast cancer prevention campaign this October, is a prime example of this. It makes itself visible, it makes itself understood, it sends a clear message. It increases self-awareness and body awareness. Just like sport."
The press conference was also attended by Manuela Tamburo De Bella, Head of the UOS Hospital Clinical Networks and Monitoring DM 70/2015 AGENAS, Paolo Azzi, President of the Italian Fencing Federation and the testimonials of the 2023 edition Luca Ward, Elena Sofia Ricci, Patrizia Mirigliani and Lucrezia Guidone. The project is supported by the unconditional contribution of numerous companies, including Gilead and Seagen.
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