Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Modena hosts the conference on Innovative Therapies and Early Palliative Care: international experts and new research in the spotlight

An important moment for discussion on a current, complex, yet unavoidable topic for modern medicine aiming to practice appropriate and consistent treatments and care choices. This will be the focus of the conference "Innovative Therapies and Early and Simultaneous Palliative Care: Research, Training, and Clinical Models (after 50 years of Hematology in Modena)" to be held on Friday, May 24th, at the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. It is important and timely because even in the hemato-oncological field, there is a need for deep reflection on the importance of communication between patients, caregivers, doctors, and nurses as part of the care pathway, capable of identifying, monitoring, and treating symptoms in the earliest stages of the disease.

National and international professionals will discuss the topics on the agenda, and the most recent results on the efficacy of new cellular therapies (hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and CAR-T), immunotherapies with bispecific antibodies, and targeted biological therapies in patients with acute leukemias, lymphomas, and chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms will be presented. A special focus will be offered on the presentation and discussion of innovative therapies capable not only of curing diseases but also of improving the quality of life of hematological patients.

Speakers will include, among others, the President of the Italian Society of Hematology (SIE), Prof. Paolo Corradini, the President of the SIE Training Activities Committee, Prof. Pier Luigi Zinzani, the President of the Italian Group for Adult Hematological Diseases Foundation (GIMEMA), Prof. Marco Vignetti, and the President-Elect of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM), Prof. Massimo Di Maio.

The fundamental role of the Italian Association against Leukemias, Lymphomas, and Myeloma (AIL) National and the local branch AIL Modena OdV, alongside the National and Modenese Hematology Community, will be remembered.

A special update will be provided on the most recent benefits of early and simultaneous palliative care interventions in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and other hematological neoplasms, based on appropriate doctor-patient communication, including the reduction of physical symptoms such as chronic and acute episodic pain, improved awareness of disease prognosis and care goals, and reduced therapeutic obstinacy. Additionally, the first update on the Survey promoted by GIMEMA on the perception and evaluation by nearly 200 Italian hematologists on the topic of early and simultaneous palliative care and end-of-life care for hemato-oncological patients will be offered by Prof. Fabio Efficace, Chairman of the "Working Party on Quality of Life and Symptoms" of GIMEMA.

On this occasion, the first edition of the Second Level Master's program "Early and Simultaneous Palliative Care in Onco-Hematology and Internal Medicine: Clinical Practice, Communication, and Quality of Life," promoted by the Hematology Research Group of the Department of Maternal-Infant and Adult Medical and Surgical Sciences, will be inaugurated. This program started in September 2023 and will conclude in June 2025.

“The benefits associated with Early and Simultaneous Palliative Care, offered within eight weeks of the diagnosis of advanced solid tumors, include improved symptoms and quality of life, reduced aggressiveness of end-of-life treatments, increased survival, and enhanced caregiver well-being. Innovative linguistic research, particularly regarding the use of metaphors, shows that Early and Simultaneous Palliative Care interventions based on adequate doctor-patient communication are the main support for realistic hope and greater acceptance of end-of-life, combined with a feeling of gratitude towards the team, among patients and their caregivers,” comments Prof. Elena Bandieri, Palliative Care Oncologist, Head of the Early Onco-Hematological Palliative Care Clinic, AUSL Modena, and Educational and Organizational Coordinator of the Master’s program.

“Even in patients with hematological malignancies undergoing intensive regimens (induction chemotherapy) or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation,” emphasizes Prof. Leonardo Potenza, Director of the Master’s program, “an Early and Simultaneous Palliative Care intervention reduces physical symptoms, increases awareness of disease prognosis and care goals, and reduces therapeutic obstinacy.”

“The use of Early and Simultaneous Palliative Care is still too underused in clinical practice due to the difficulty in defining prognosis and the limited availability of specific Early and Simultaneous Palliative Care programs during hospitalization and on an outpatient basis,” comments Prof. Mario Luppi, Full Professor at Unimore and Director of the Hematology Unit at AOU Modena. “This is why we have decided to commit ourselves deeply to implementing training programs for hematologist-oncologist-internist specialists in early palliative care, capable of closely collaborating with professionals operating in other nodes of the care network: hospital, home, and hospice.”

During the Congress, Prof. Camilla Zimmermann from Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who is one of the leading international experts in research and clinical care on the topic of Early and Simultaneous Palliative Care, will speak. Prof. Zimmermann is among the promoters of the Lancet Oncology Commission, which began its work in 2022 in response to concerns shared by a group of physicians, scholars, and health policy leaders regarding the growing imbalance in attention and resources directed towards the biomedical and technological aspects of cancer care, compared to its humanitarian dimensions. The work, which will conclude in 2025, may offer guidelines on the development of innovative international programs for the humanization of care, including the anticipation of precision palliative care interventions for patients with neoplasms and their caregivers.

The Congress will also be an opportunity to remember the Masters of Modenese Hematology, which celebrates more than 50 years, and to describe the latest development projects for integrated advanced laboratory diagnostics (cyto-histo-morphological, flow cytometry, cytogenetics, and molecular), clinical research on innovative molecular and immunological target therapies, and the recent qualification and accreditation programs for Metropolitan Transplant and Cellular Therapy Programs (CAR-T) both in the emerging new Oncological and Hemato-Oncological Department of the Province of Modena and in the new organization of the Oncology and Hemato-Oncology Network of the Emilia-Romagna Region.

“Our deepest thanks,” concludes Prof. Luppi, “go to the Magnificent Rector, Prof. Carlo Adolfo Porro, who has immediately and convincingly supported this initiative, to the President of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Prof. Michele Zoli, and to the General and Health Directorates of AOU and AUSL Modena for sharing the value and significance of this innovative, cross-cutting training experience that unites UNIMORE, hospitals, and the territory.”

Categorie: International - english