National Women’s Health Day. Tuesday 23 April free visits to Piazza Duomo

Breast and cervical cancer prevention tests

An event dedicated to women’s health for the prevention of breast and cervical cancer, in the week in which National Women’s Health Day is celebrated.

On Tuesday 23 April, in Piazza Duomo, there will be a mobile clinic – equipped with a mammograph, ultrasound and examination rooms – where professionals from the Polyclinic and the ASP will carry out free visits and consultations. From 10am to 5pm, with direct access, it will be possible to carry out mammography tests, clinical mammograms, breast ultrasounds, Pap tests and HPV DNA tests.

The initiative is promoted by the University of Messina and the Polyclinic, in synergy with the ASP of Messina, and with the collaboration of the Municipal Administration.

The Senate Hall of the University hosted the press conference to present the “National Women’s Health Day” initiative. Present at the meeting were the rector Giovanna Spatari, the director of the Messina Polyclinic, Giorgio Giulio Santonocito, the director of the Messina ASP, Giuseppe Cuccì, and the councilor for social policies and volunteering of the Municipality of Messina, Alessandra Calafiore.

Clinical exams

The mammographic exam is aimed at women aged 50 to 69, clinical mammography for women aged 40 to 49 and over 70, while breast ultrasound is aimed at women under 49 and over 70. For the examination of cervicocarcinoma with Pap Hpv DNA test, women aged 25 to 64 are involved; furthermore, women up to 24 years of age and over 65 years of age will also be able to perform the Pap HPV DNA test.

“The need to reconcile women’s many commitments – states rector Spatari – leads to postponing prevention visits which often prove fundamental for an early diagnosis. The possibility of exploiting a central square in the city, a crossroads of many offices and work environments, I hope will be an additional opportunity to choose to love yourself and think about your health. I hope that many will accept our invitation.”

“It is an example of virtuous synergy – said Dr. Santonocito – which we wanted to carry forward so that our professionals were present in the area to offer free visits and consultations to a wide age range, but at the same time to encourage a campaign of social awareness regarding the value that prevention has, especially on some pathologies from which today, if caught in time, it is possible to recover”.

“The Piazza Duomo initiative – added councilor Calafiore – represents a further sign of how profitable institutional dialogue is in our city. The Municipality enthusiastically joined this day, aware of the importance of all the initiatives related to prevention and health; I am particularly grateful to the professionals who will be on the front line for this event and who work with commitment every day.”

“The testing and prevention activity – declared Dr. Cuccì – has emerged, already in the Covid period, as an increasingly pressing need in our territory and, in general, in our Region; we are therefore pleased to join this important event. We expect a broad response from women and the city. We are organized in such a way as to be able to best respond to all the needs that will be expressed and we are certain that we will do something welcome in the belief that prevention is important for the physical and economic stability of each individual, but also of the country”.

Busy doctors

For the Polyclinic, Elvira Condorelli, Maria Adele Marino and Francesca Catanzariti, radiologists, Angela Saccà, radiology technician, will perform clinical mammograms and ultrasounds; the Pap Hpv DNA Test will be performed by Camillo Carbone and Enzo Salimbeni, gynecologists, with the midwife Serafina Villari.

The ASP of Messina will be busy carrying out the oncological tests and Sara Cuffari, director of the Screening Management Center Unit of the ASP of Messina, Antonello Farsaci, head of the Mammographic Screening Unit of the ASP Messina, Angelo Natoli, radiologist will be present. , and Giovanna Busà, radiology technician for mammography screening; Salvatore Paratore, gynecologist, head of the Cervical Carcinoma Screening Unit, Giuseppa Scavino, obstetrician, Domenica Auditore, nurse for the HPV DNA test; Piero Giunta and Grazia Gugliandolo, administrators.

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women, approximately one in three malignancies (30%) is a tumor and the main cause of oncological death among women around the world. In Italy, it currently affects one in eight women and therefore approximately 12.5% ​​of women will develop breast cancer during their entire lifetime. The mortality rate for this pathology has decreased considerably since the 1990s in Western countries, in relation to increased awareness of tests and therapeutic advances.

The spread of prevention programs with detailed diagnostic-therapeutic pathways has allowed an increasingly higher number of both symptomatic and asymptomatic women to undergo breast examination and level I and level II diagnostic investigations, which have led to an accurate early diagnosis and appropriate therapy which allow a reduction in mortality.

Cervical cancer

Every year in Italy there are approximately 3,500 new cases and 1,100 deaths from cervical cancer. Even though in the last twenty years mortality from uterine (body and neck) cancer has decreased by over 50%, especially with regard to cervical cancer, this ranks fifth in frequency among the most diagnosed cancers in women (5 percent of all female cancer diagnoses) under 50 years of age. Adhering to the cancer prevention program allows for early detection of lesions and tumors in the initial stage, increasing the effectiveness of treatments and reducing cancer mortality.