Health and cancer, today one patient out of two defeats this disease

The possibility to defeat cancer has increased 15% compared to 1985, on the whole 55% of the sick people survive in Italy nowadays , that is to say, one patient out of two can defeat cancer. This is not enough: even the percentage of sick people surviving more than ten years has increased and there are more than 1 million 500 thousand people who have definitely won against cancer. We have had this result thanks to the screening programs and to the molecular target therapies, that have accelerated this positive trend. These results have been spread during the X national congress of AIOM ( the Italian Association of Medical oncology), in Verona. The President Francesco Boccardo has stated “the fight against cancer can rapidly improve when the “right key” is found. This progress shows us that this is the right way to be followed in the next future: the neoplastic cell often resists the traditional medical therapies like the chemotherapy or hormones therapy, that’s why we need to know deeply the several bio molecular causes growing cancer but over all the phenomena that allow their growth and development, this way we can develop molecules able to overcome the limits of medical therapies”. One of the best example is “Bevacizumab”, the molecule able to block cancer, because it prevents it from building the blood vases, which provide the neoplastic cells with the necessary energy. The first recorded study is dated back only to five years ago and today this medicine has already been used for four types of cancers: breast, colon, lens and reins. Even if these “target” medicines have a great role in the reduction of mortality, the primary prevention, in particular diet and sport, have the same importance . There is much evidence that physical activity is protective against cancer, in particular colon-cancer is strictly connected to the food used, and it counts 40000 new cases every year. “ This kind of food can have a chemo protective effect – Carmelo Iacono explains( the elected President of AIOM)- for example citrus, tomatoes, Mediterranean fish ,olive oil: the typical ingredients of the Mediterranean diet.
On this basis the AIOM has realized a specific cooking video course, shot in Sicily, with the allowance of the oncologists. This course, providing a DVD and a booklet, will be delivered in the Italian Oncology Departments and published in the Internet in the sites www.intermedianews.tv and www.aiom.it.