Fontevecchia joins the Lilt 'Path Azzurro' male prevention campaign

Press release from Lilt on the opening of the 'Blue Path' male prevention campaign

"The 'Blue Path' men's cancer prevention campaign also starts inPescara. From tomorrow, Tuesday, December 1st, the Flaiano Bridge will light up blue and from Wednesday 2 December, and until December 6th, also the Civic Tower to remind men of the importance of carrying out regular checks to counteract the onset of purely male tumors, such as that ofthe prostate. And also tomorrow and Wednesday, first and 2 December, citizens will be able to book their free visit to the clinics of Casa Lilt,visits that will be carried out by the doctors of theCivil Hospital of Pescara; and on the occasion the Lilt of Pescara has concluded an agreement with the Pescara Municipal Police Command to guarantee free visits to all agents, men and women. Lilt  is therefore preparing to close 2020 with a great restart of secondary cancer prevention". This was said by the President of  lilt  – Italian League against Cancer – Pescara Section, Professor Marco Lombardo, President of  Lilt  Abruzzo.

"As we have already mentioned on the occasion of the 'Nastro Rosa'  campaign dedicated  to breast cancer prevention last October, the Covid-19 pandemic should not make us underestimate other pathologies and above all must not make us forget the importance of prevention – underlined Professor Lombardo – and precisely for this reason we have decided to close 2020 with a month of preventiondedicated, this time, to men with the first official edition ofthe 'Blue  Path',promoting free visitsto boys who, as confirmed by the latest studies, are often inclined to an attitude of underestimation of risk. Even today, as many as 50% of men between the ages of 18 and 64 have never made check-ups. Tumors of the male genital sphere mainly concern tumors of the prostate, penis and testicle. Prostate cancer has an increasing incidence, it represents 20% of all cancers diagnosed from the age of 50, in Italy there are about 30 thousand new cases every year, or 100 new cases per day. To defeat this oncological pathology, early diagnosis is certainly essential and it is therefore important to raise awareness among men to undergo periodic checks that are urological examination, with prostate ultrasound and examination of the PSA and from the age of 40 it is advisable to carry out such tests at least once a year, so as to allow to discover tumors of even a few millimeters that means to cure and heal. Already today this type of cancer has a healability of 90%, but we could achieve zero mortality. Alarm bells must  be the frequent stimulus to urination, especially at night. But that is not enough, because today more and more young people are affected by testicular cancer, especially children between 20 and 40 years old, about 2,500 new cases a year. Usually such a tumor begins with a lump, an increase in volume, swelling or hardening of the testicle. For  men it is important to performand self-examination of the testicle, as women do for the breasts, to verify that there are no alterations and it is important to teach the boys such a maneuver also because with the abolition of military service this examination that was oncemandatory is no longer carried out. Finally – added Professor Lombardo – penis cancer, the rarest of the three pathologies, but also the most aggressive, also because it is usually the one that is diagnosed later, and the main risk factor is having contracted hpv infection,papilloma virus. Also in this caseself-inspection is important and one of the first alarm bells is the variation in the appearance of the skin that can change color becoming thinner or presenting thickening, ulcers or nodules". There are several factors, social and environmental, that can contribute to the onset of male cancers, "such as cigarette smoking, or particular environmental and professional conditions and in this sense the role of primary prevention is also strategic, that is, to train young people to have proper, healthy eating, and to carry out regular physical activity. Unfortunately, also in this sector we will pay the price of Covid-19 that has delayed visits, prevention, favoring late diagnosis. For this  reason, the Lilt of Pescara - continued Professor Lombardo - has enthusiastically joined the campaign of the national Lilt called 'Blue  Path' and that will see men protagonists. To remind the boys thata month of prevention opens for them, from tomorrow, Tuesday the first of December, the Flaiano Bridge will light up in blue, from Wednesday 2 December it will also be the civic tower, and both the two symbolic monuments of the city will remain blue until6 December included. Meanwhile, visits start: tomorrow and Wednesday, 1 and 2 December, all men residing in Pescara can book their visit by calling the telephone number 338.5885788, from 10 to 12 and from 15.30 to 17.30, or they can send a whatsapp to the number 393.8159916 indicating their name, surname and phone number to which to be recalled. The blue check on the message will be proof of reception and reading.  The free visits will start already in the afternoon of Thursday 3 December and will be carried out by Dr. Giuliano Di Pietrantonio, doctor of the Urology department of the Civil Hospital of Pescara, and will take place in the clinics of Casa Lilt,in via Rubicone 15, absolutely safe spaces for patients thanks to the 24-hour sanitization system, donated  to Lilt  and installed for about ten days. The patients, once entered, before undergoing a visit, will pass in front of the panel that will allow disinfection and then fill out the anti-CovidCovid  19 form. Finally - added President Lombardo -  Lilt will organize a few days of visit specifically dedicated to the agents, men and women, of the Pescara Municipal Police, by virtue of an agreement that we have concluded with Commander Danilo Palestini. Women will be able to undergo free breast screening, men will participate in the 'Blue Path',an experience that we intend to repeat also with other lawenforcement agencies as well as with the public employees of the various bodies, such as the Municipality, the Province and the Region".