by Patrizia Massara Di Nallo (photo source Ansa)
REGGIO CALABRIA – The GOM Large Metropolitan Hospital of Reggio Calabria has activated a new department with the “Breast Unit” service. This path of diagnosis and treatment of breast pathologies, which has been operational for some time, is now located in a renovated department on the third floor of the “Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli” facility. The Open Day was well attended and provided correct and complete information for women who face breast pathologies The extraordinary commissioner of the Gom Gianluigi Scaffidi stated: “Compared to screening, implemented in a commendable manner by the Asp of Reggio Calabria, ours aims to be a more in-depth form of prevention. With this Breast Unit, which it is a physical structural site where several operating units of the hospital converge, the whole organization revolves around the woman who will automatically be sent to do all the procedures and all the tests up to the operation, if necessary, up to chemotherapy, if necessary necessary. In this structure various operational units converge: from surgery, to oncology, to radiotherapy, to radiology and so on”.
The health director of Gom Salvatore Costarella declared: “In recent years we are trying to carry out an operation that brings the hospital closer to the citizen. We have streamlined the entire process. At the Breast Unit, patients will have a totally facilitated path which includes both the visit, clearly the first level diagnostics, but also the more advanced diagnostics, such as magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound-guided and stereotactic biopsies. Once the diagnostic process is concluded, the therapeutic process will begin which is not decided only by a professional, but by a pool of professionals who collaborate with each other and decide the best therapeutic path”. And he continued: “We carry with us the atavistic prejudice that exists towards Calabrian healthcare. But I can assure you that the hospital is full of professionalism. What was missing was an organization that could put all these professionals in communication and above all break down the barriers that hinder access to care”.
Below: “As you may have noticed, associations that deal with women’s health take part in this event. We wanted to involve them because we believe that the primary stakeholders in this process are the patients and the associations that represent them”. Furthermore, you said: “Other paths are starting. This is always because the hospital belongs to the citizen. And since we are healthcare workers, but we are also citizens, we too are potential users and beneficiaries of these services.” According to what was established in the 2014 State-Regions agreement, in accordance with the recommendations issued by the European Parliament, each Region must identify and create a Breast Unit for every 250,000 inhabitants, equipped with a medical team of at least 6 professionals (radiologist, surgeon, pathologist , oncologist, radiation oncologist, data manager) and must treat at least 150 new cases every year. Adherence to these requirements and to the guidelines established by the European society of breast cancer specialists, evaluated by third-party institutes, is certified by the European society of breast cancer specialists (Eusoma), the only valid certification for a Breast Unit. First of all, it is important to see if the relevant Breast Unit has Eusoma certification. To find out about the Breast Units in your region you can search on the healthcare website of your region or contact Europa Donna, a patient association that promotes the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. The Breast Units respond to specific clinical and healthcare characteristics to ensure the best treatment path for breast cancer. In the Breast Unit process, short and long-term checks (follow-up), after surgery and during and after medical therapy, are fundamental, as is special surveillance in cases of hereditary risk. According to medical literature data, people who turn to a Breast Unit have greater chances of recovery than those who do not access one, and a 5-year survival of 83.9% compared to 74.9% respectively, according to an evaluation punctual emerged from a dedicated clinical study. In fact, the management of a person with breast cancer is not just a question of providing surgical or medical treatment, but rather global attention to the patient, in which different experts compare and transfer knowledge and scientific updates to ensure the best practices of diagnosis, correct therapeutic management and specialist surveillance.
Tags: GOM Reggio Calabria department service
