Lung, screening on heavy smokers – Well-being

Early diagnosis of pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, prevention of smoking-related diseases. These are the goals of the SMAC, Multiple Action for Smokers' Health, a free screening project for smokers and ex-smokers that provides a low-dose thoracic TAC badociated with an information and support program in the smoke-free centers

. Giulia Veronesi, head of Humanitas' section of robotic surgery, at the thoracic surgery operating unit, led by prof., Has been developing smokers for over 30 years or former smokers aged over 55 years old. Alloisio, with the support of Humanitas Cancer Center, Humanitas University, Ministry of Health, AIRC, ATS Milan Metropolitan City, General Practitioners and Umberto Veronesi Foundation

SMAC will be presented at the CLEARLY meeting, a multi-center European project of which Humanitas is the coordinator. The meeting will be held on Thursday, July 12 at the Humanitas Congress Center, with the participation of leading European experts on cancer screening and translational research, and will discuss lung cancer prevention through the identification of circulating biomarkers. and imaging.

This project addresses people at high risk of tobacco exposure. The first participants are scheduled for September this year.

"Through screening" – said Dr. Veronesi – we can find tumors before they give symptoms of their presence, in a phase where they are usable in 80% of cases. Currently, most patients arrive at diagnosis when symptoms appear, so with the disease already advanced and less chance of recovery. In addition, thanks to screening, it is now possible to identify very small tumors, which can be treated by minimally invasive and personalized robotic surgery, saving most healthy lungs, with rapid functional recovery and early discharge. "

Plain screening has already been a standard procedure since 2012, following international recommendations based on studies showing a reduction in the mortality of the screened population compared to the controls." Our goal is to involve the institutions so that lung screening is also included in the measures of the Italian National Health Policy through this pilot study developed with the ATS of Metropolitan Milan and the family doctors ".