Early diagnosis and personalized treatments: scientific challenges overcoming cancer

Humanitas Research Foundation and Rinascente together to fight ovarian cancer

Early diagnosis and personalized treatments: scientific challenges overcoming cancer

Again this year, Rinascente Fondazione Humanitas per la Ricerca is giving a portion of the proceeds from stores in Milan, Monza and Catania to fund research on women as part of the Pink Union project. The event was attended, with words of applause for the initiative, by Anna Scavuzzo, Vice-Mayor of Milan.

Milano, April 3, 2023 – Renewal of the “beauty” of research: for the second year in a row, Rinascente supports the women’s projects of the Humanitas Research Foundation. For the whole month of April, this year 10% of the proceeds from purchases made in the Beauty Bar spaces in Piazza Duomo in Milan and at points of sale in Monza and Catania, will be donated to innovative studies to combat ovarian and ovarian cancer. released. Even a small purchase in the annex on the first floor of the store, dedicated to fashion, shoes, sneakers, cosmetics and much more, and / or in the departments on the ground floor with makeup and beauty brands that teenagers love, can make a difference for many women. patients with this tumor. CSR cooperation is for Renascent a way to be, concretely every day, “for the city, with the city and in the city” and to draw the attention of the general public to important issues. Beauty Bar for Research was born out of this need: to inform and make shopping more informed, tangible, and diverse with purpose.

The latest available estimates, as of 2020 (source: Cancer figures in Italy 2022, AIOM-AIRTUM), indicate 5,200 new diagnoses and 3,200 deaths, a net survival of 43% 5 years after diagnosis and a life expectancy For another 4 years, it is equivalent to 55%, provided that the first year after diagnosis is passed. Today there are 49,800 women living in Italy after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, still very few. Reversing this trend is the commitment and goal of medical research, which it pursues using two effective weapons, in order to hopefully succeed: the predictability of disease prognosis and its relapses, and the predictability of the individual efficacy of some innovative therapies. These drugs, such as PARP reductase inhibitors (Parp inhibitors), are effective in controlling the disease in some types of patients.

The Humanitas Research Foundation’s “challenge” against ovarian cancer focuses on these weapons, the critical numbers of which are explained by the fact that in 80% of cases, due to their asymptomatic nature, ovarian cancer is diagnosed late, already advanced or metastatic. Overcoming them in time, intercepting them at an early stage, recognizing their different types and thus making them easier to treat are the goals of some research projects. Maurizio D’Incalci, Head of the Humanitas Antitumor Pharmacology Laboratory and Professor at Humanitas University, and his team of researchers, thanks to funding from the same foundation. “In the therapeutic panorama – the professor explains – PARP inhibitors are of interest. These drugs have already been shown to be particularly effective in the case of mutations in the BRCA1 and 2 genes. However, recent research, to which we contributed to Humanitas, shows that these drugs are also potentially effective in other patients, such as those with tumors that It has defects in a DNA repair machinery called “homologous recombination repair”. In more than half of the cases of this type, the PARP-

In fact, the inhibitors have been shown to be effective as prophylaxis, i.e. started after classical chemotherapy with carboplatin and Taxol.”

An important therapeutic target, but one that depends on our ability to identify patients with this type of disease and monitor tumor progression during treatment. To do this, researchers are developing a minimally invasive, doctor-administerable, low-cost system: the liquid biopsy. “The aim of our project – explains the professor – is to detect in blood plasma, and not in tumor tissue, as is usually the case, elements that help in understanding whether the patient is responding positively to treatment or if it is necessary instead to go towards another treatment option. It will allow Our study, in particular, investigates the diagnostic efficacy of liquid biopsy in combination with radiological examinations. According to our preliminary data, this protocol will also allow identifying the risk of disease recurrence about 4-6 months earlier compared to standard methods. This will open a very valuable and important therapeutic window in which to Implementation of specific therapeutic strategies to counter disease recurrence.Thus, liquid biopsy will provide several advantages: more accurate monitoring of patients, saving useless and ineffective treatments, as they only result in toxicity and not a real benefit.”

Besides the liquid biopsy, which can provide important information on the ability to respond to treatments and the risk of recurrence, D’Incalci’s group is also working on projects for early diagnosis of the disease. The goal in this case is to identify the presence of the mutated cells before the tumor mass presents itself clinically. “We’ve already identified the ‘molecular signature’ of ovarian cancer: it’s genomic instability, which is quite strange. This is why a measure of this genetic instability has great diagnostic potential. But only research can turn this potential into reality, which is why it is essential to continue to support it.”

“Supporting research is an investment in the well-being and health of the whole of society, a gesture of solidarity that allows researchers to continue working to advance science: I am sure that Milan will generously appreciate this commitment – stresses Deputy Mayor Anna Scavuzzo -. We therefore welcome an initiative that would It allows for a simple and tangible fundraising, which sees an alliance between two excellent citizens. Thanks to Humanitas for its commitment to research and scientific advancement for the benefit of the health and well-being of all of us, and to Rinascente, which links the quality of its products and the history of its brand to research projects that allow us to look to the future with renewed optimism.” .

“Our stores are points of reference, key players in the historical centers that blend into the fabric of the city from which they absorb the essence and contribute to enhancing it. Each store is unique and closely linked to the area in which it is located. Hence the desire to continue proudly in 2023 with the Beauty project Bar for Research, continuing the commitment to support the Piedmontese Foundation for Cancer Research, FRO Onlus and the Humanitas Research Foundation, and above all giving an extra boost to the operation by bringing the donation up to 10% in all our stores.The heart of our Beauty Bars are independent brands with high value content Research, innovation and anticipating trends are key drivers of more mindful consumption of products.” Pierluigi Cuccini, CEO of Rinascente.

About Rinascente

Rinascente is a prestige group of stores, with the very best in fashion, accessories, beauty, home, design and food. It has nine stores in Italy, located in the center of major cities and an online store launched in June 2020. It has two main stores, one in Milan and the other in the heart of Rome, opened in 2017. A unique department store, since it includes a building Small twentieth century in architectural structure and on the first floor highlights part of the Virgin Aqueduct from 19 BC. Italy and the International Panorama. It’s the place for exclusive events, personal appearances by VIPs, and new product launches. An obligatory stop on shopping trips, it offers a rich and varied offer without pre-packaged formulas, perfect for an updated and increasingly demanding target. Each store is a real magnet, where shopping becomes an engaging and rewarding experience, so much so that in May 2016 the Milanese flagship store was declared “Best Department Store in the World” by the Intercontinental Group of Department Stores (IGDS), the most important international association of department stores. in 2017

Rinascente marked the centenary of its namesake, penned by poet Gabriele D’Annunzio, with a major exhibition at Palazzo Reale, LR 100- Rinascente Stories of Innovation, highlighting the passion, talent and capacity for vision with which he wrote his story.

Humanitas Research Foundation

The Humanitas Research Foundation is a non-profit organization engaged in the study and treatment of diseases such as tumors, heart attacks, strokes, autoimmune diseases, and neurological and osteoarthritis diseases.

The President of Humanitas Research Foundation is Prof. Alberto Mantovani, Scientific Director of Humanitas and Professor Emeritus at Humanitas University. The Foundation contributes to the training of young researchers from all over the world, making the research center a collection of cultures, knowledge and skills at the international level

The Humanitas Research Foundation supports more than 300 researchers from 16 countries on 4 continents who, together with hospital physicians, are constantly researching new therapies. The Humanitas Research Foundation works in a network with centers of excellence such as New York University, the University of Louvain, the M Humanitas Research Foundation’s Center for Biotechnology, and works closely with 9 Humanitas Hospitals and the Humanitas University, dedicated to life sciences. Madrid, Queen Mary School of Medicine in London and Pasteur Institute in Paris https://fondazionehumanitasricerca.it