Thursday 14 November 2019, at the Villa Moroni in via Papa Giovanni XXIII 6, in Stezzano (near Bergamo), the new Foundation was introduced at its first public fundraising event. The numerous participants were welcomed by the Deputy Mayor of Bergamo, Sergio Gandi, and by Fabio Pezzoli, Healthcare Director of the local health agency, ASST PG23.
Roberta Sestini, president of the Foundation, described the Foundation’s plans to foster research on the links between thrombosis, hemostasis, and tumors and explained that it aims to provide care and assistance for frail patients needing anticoagulant/antithrombotic treatments and/or transfusions.
She then introduced the members of the scientific committee: Andrea D’Alessio, Domenico Gerbasi, Raffaella Giavazzi, Roberto Labianca, Fabrizio Lazzarini and Elisabetta Olivari.
Giovanna Bosatelli, the vice-president, then presented some statistics on the settings where the Fondazione ARTET works. She explained that in Italy cancer causes 500 deaths a day, with an incidence of 1000 new cases per day. Deaths from thrombosis are equally alarming: 230,000 deaths per year in Italy; 20% of these patients already have cancer. In healthy subjects, an unexpected thrombosis may often ring an alarm bell for an undetected – and undiagnosed – tumor
Anna Falanga, the scientific coordinator for the Foundation, holds posts as professor of hematology at the Milan Bicocca University, and head of the Transfusion Medicine and Hematology Department at the Papa Giovanni Hospital XXIII in Bergamo. She described the research projects in which the Foundation is working: the HYPERCAN Study – Screening for hypercoagulability as an innovative tool for risk assessment, early diagnosis and prognosis in cancer; and the MATTER Study – Clinical management of anticoagulant and antiaggregant therapy in patients with thrombocytopenia and hematological malignancies (links).
The Charity Dinner was attended by more than 130 guests – business people, professionals, physicians, and researchers, who all responded generously to Roberta Sestini and her vice-president Giovanna Terzi Bosatelli, whose call came over loud and clear: “Help us to help! Be generous for the Fondazione ARTET’s research projects!”.
