Francesca, Ilenia, Roberta, are strong women, women who have fought the most difficult challenge, the one with cancer. Women who have chosen to tell their experience for the benefit of others, to launch a strong and decisive appeal in favor of scientific research and Airc, the Foundation for Cancer Research that, on the occasion of Mother's Day, returns to Italian squares with the traditional azalea.

The initiative

Today over twenty thousand volunteers will be in the Italian squares to distribute the Azalea of research, against a donation of 18 euros. The proceeds will go to support the work of Airc researchers, committed to finding increasingly early diagnoses and safer and more effective treatments for cancers that affect women. Together with the plant will be delivered a guide that contains information on cancer prevention and treatment, entitled "The strength of women". This is the message that Airc wants to convey with the campaign that continues throughout the month of May: the "strength" of those who face diagnosis and disease, but also the strength that starts from research and reaches patients, through the support of people who take care of them, family or friends.

The azalea of Airc is the flower that has become, since 1984, a symbol of female health and in recent years has allowed to collect over 290 million euros.

The most frequent cancers in women

About one in three women will be affected by cancer in their lifetime. It is estimated that in 2022 there were over 185 thousand new cases of cancer among women, about 10 thousand more than in 2019, the year before the outbreak of the pandemic. These are the most frequent cancers: breast, colorectal, lung, uterus, thyroid, pancreas, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, stomach, bladder, melanoma.

Screenings

The National Health Service offers free screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer to sections of the population most at risk. The tests (mammography, pap smear and test for Papilloma virus, occult blood in the stool) allow to detect precancerous lesions or the presence of a tumor when it is still in its initial stage. Adherence to screening programs in Italy, however, is still too low according to the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM). Emblematic is the case of colorectal cancer, the second most diagnosed cancer among women: seven out of ten people do not carry out the recommended tests to detect it early.

The 13 alarm bells

Airc reports 13 alarm bells, specific for women, that can be linked to cancer. The list, drawn up by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is reserved for women to orient themselves between the right alarm for even trivial disorders and the risk of overestimating certain sensations and worrying about nothing. It is good not to ignore and not underestimate any symptoms but to talk to your doctor.

Here's what to look out for: 1) unmotivated weight loss; 2) unusual and persistent abdominal swelling, accompanied by abdominal or pelvic pain; 3) changes in the breast (not only nodules and solid formations but also any persistent redness of the skin in a certain area of the breast and thickening of the skin); 4) bleeding outside of menstruation (or if you are in menopause); 5) alterations of the skin (excessively reddened in a precise point, desquama and does not tend to spontaneous healing in a short time); 6) uncommon bleeding; 7) changes in the mouth; 8) dull and persistent pain (always deserves a deepening); 9) enlarged lymph nodes; 10) persistent fever; 11) tiredness and a sense of exhaustion that lasts more than two weeks in the absence of illness; 12) persistent cough (dry, lasts for weeks or months and presents with small limited accesses); 13) excessive night sweats.

Airc

Airc, the strength of women