Prostate cancer, a sitcom on the web to break down taboos

ADDRESS an important theme with a smile on your face. Using a medium, such as the web, which is one of the main tools with which citizens search for health information. "Man tends to quit when it comes to illness, not only at home but also with friends. We want to disrupt taboos and raise awareness not only of the over 50s but also of young adults to take care of themselves, "explains Pietro Presti, vice president of Europa Uomo who, together with Fondazione Onda, promotes the campaign" Qui Pro Quo. Prostate health: stop the misunderstandings, yes to the prevention ", realized with the unconditional contribution of Astellas, which has as its fulcrum a web sitcom interpreted by Francesco Paoloantoni and Emanuela Rossi. Prostate cancer is the most widespread among the male population with 37 thousand new diagnoses recorded in 2019 and about 470 thousand Italians living with the disease to date. It is estimated that every Italian over 65 has a 3% chance of dying from this disease.

The taboos

Urological and sexual problems are often a source of great embarrassment for men, frightened by the idea of ​​periodic checks. "Talking about such delicate issues is not simple, but indispensable, and the QUI PRO QUO campaign, with the sit com spread on social channels, is one of the most current and effective ways to inform men about prostate cancer prevention and encourage them to undergo to regular checks – declares Maria Laura De Cristofaro, President of Europa Uomo Italia Onlus – In this campaign, men and women have joined forces because the woman is the bearer of a culture of good health and taking care of her body, inside and outside the home and transmits this knowledge to children, females and males ”.

The importance of prevention

Anticipating the diagnostic path helps to treat cancer effectively. "It is a slow-growing tumor in most cases, with symptoms that are often absent in the early stages, the main risk factor being familiarity with prostate cancer – says Pietro Acquati, Medical Director of Urologue IRCCS San Donato di San Donato Milanese and Member of the SIU Research Office – Prevention involves the simple dosing of the PSA marker and urological examination every two years after 50 years of age ". Prevention is essential to intercept prostate cancer in the initial phase: difficulty urinating, in particular to start urination, frequent urge to urinate, especially at night, difficulty in maintaining a constant flow (weak or intermittent jet), feeling of not succeeding to completely empty the bladder, pain when urinating or during ejaculation, blood in the urine or in the semen are alarm bells that can be better intercepted thanks to the support of the partner. "The woman is used to speaking openly and freely about problems related to the health of the urogenital system and with the same freedom and delicacy, she can bring the partner closer to these issues, suggesting for example to confide their fears and go to the doctor together for prostate control, perhaps leveraging on the desire to grow old together and stay healthy and also to remain sexually active, "says Francesca Merzagora, President of ONDA Foundation.

Supervision and treatment

Often the strategy of active surveillance can be chosen, that is a close monitoring of the PSA, with the periodic repetition of prostate biopsies and clinical visits so as to promptly detect the possible progression of the disease and eventually proceed to local treatment with 'radical' intent. "In the advanced stage of illness, on the other hand, you can resort to hormone therapy, whether or not associated with chemotherapy and, in the case of bone metastases, to drugs that inhibit bone resorption and skeletal damage (which often causes pain and / or fractures) or to radiotherapy or radio-metabolic therapy ", explains Stefania Gori, President of the AIOM Foundation and Director of Medical Oncology, Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar, Verona. Among the various therapeutic options available today, radiotherapy has taken on an increasingly important role in recent years. “Radiation therapy plays a predominant role as an alternative to surgery, with curative intent in localized or less extensive disease, is associated with surgery after surgery, when a residual disease is found, and in case of relapse, as a rescue treatment with purpose of new healing – underlines Dario Zerini, Radiotherapy Division Medical Director, European Oncology Institute (IEO) and outgoing Councilor of the AIRO Uro-Oncology Study Group – But radiotherapy today finds space even in the very extensive phase of disease, as a treatment for palliation, in particular for pain due to bone compromise and to improve patients' quality of life ”.

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