Chest cancer: prevention, screening and new therapies
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46 thousand cases. They are those registered in 2022 only for thoracic tumors, i.e. lung and thymus and mesothelioma. Particularly insidious oncological diseases that see immunotherapy as an important treatment option. However, survival and cure rates remain decidedly low. These are the themes at the center of the conference Immunotherapy in Thoracic Neoplasms Up-Date Post ASCO 2023, an event that takes place today in Lazise (province of Verona), organized by the Foundation of the National Interdisciplinary Operational Force against Lung Cancer – FONICAP. “Pulmonary cancer is the most frequent thoracic neoplasm and still ranks among the last places for the five-year survival data”, underlines Rossana Berardi, Full Professor of Oncology at the Polytechnic University of the Marches, Director of the Oncological Clinic at the University Hospital delle Marche and President of the Scientific Committee of the FONICAP Foundation.
Pleural mesothelioma: with immunotherapy plus chemo, survival lengthens
by Irma D’Aria
New combined strategies for lung cancer
The Foundation has been active for many years and aims to develop a new approach to the treatment of lung cancer. The arrival of immunotherapy was a milestone and initially established itself as a treatment for those patients who had failed chemotherapy. It has since established itself as a first-line treatment of advanced disease, but also as an alternative to chemotherapy itself. “Several interesting international scientific studies were presented at the last congress of the American Society of Clinical Oncology – says Antonio Santo, Director of the Lung Unit – Thoracic Oncology at P. Pederzoli Hospital in Peschiera del Garda (VR) and President of the FONICAP Foundation – Yes record novelties in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer where immunotherapy, alone or in combination with chemotherapy, has revolutionized the therapeutic strategy. A combination is also now available, based on dual immunotherapy plus chemotherapy for two cycles, followed by immunotherapy, which continues to prolong overall survival. New confirmations also arrive for early stage lung cancer. It can be treated with a monoclonal antibody before and after surgery, which is able to improve event-free survival and reduce the risk of recurrence. The same drug, in addition to chemotherapy, prolongs the survival of patients with inoperable advanced or metastatic pleural mesothelioma”.
Lung cancer: life gets longer with a double dose of immunotherapy and two cycles of chemotherapy
by Irma D’Aria
Prevention and screening are the most effective strategies
These are all important and unthinkable results until a few years ago, but the road ahead is still complex and primary prevention remains the most effective weapon, recalls Berardi. Despite numerous information campaigns and increasingly restrictive laws, however, smoking affects a fifth of the population residing in our country. Even more worrying is the fact that there are increases among younger women. “There is a need for a greater effort, starting from the institutions, to counteract an erroneous and extremely dangerous lifestyle – concludes the oncologist – Another important opportunity currently available in Italy is low-dose chest CT screening of radiation, which can be performed by patients who are smokers or ex-smokers to make an early diagnosis”.
Screening for lung cancer, 7,000 people are already in the program
by Tiziana Moriconi
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