Cancer Research: Supporting It Depends on Us

Two out of three women who get cancer are alive five years after diagnosis. This is just one of the milestones achieved by scientific research, thanks to increasingly early and precise diagnoses, less invasive and effective surgical approaches, and new targeted and better tolerated therapies. There are still notable differences between the different types of cancer: after breast cancer, approximately 88% of women are alive five years after diagnosis, while for women affected by gynecological cancer, the percentages are approximately 79% for cancer of the corpus uterus, 68% for the uterine cervix, and 43% for the ovary.

To support research on tumors that affect women, on Sunday 11 May - Mother's Day - the Airc Foundation, which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary, returns to the square with the Azalea della Ricerca , an initiative born in 1984, the first fundraising campaign in the squares, which made the azalea a true symbol of women's health.

In Italy, last year alone, 175,600 new diagnoses were estimated among women. The most frequent tumors among women are breast cancer (53,065 new cases), colorectal cancer (21,233), lung cancer (12,940), uterine cancer (8,652), thyroid cancer (8,322), pancreatic cancer (6,712), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (5,950), skin melanoma (5,872), bladder cancer (5,789) and stomach cancer (5,512), according to AIOM-AIRTUM data.

Roberta , 37 years old from Rieti, was diagnosed with cancer, a Hodgkin lymphoma, in the spring of 2010: «I faced a complex path without ever getting discouraged despite the chemotherapy, the hair loss, the return of the disease, the move to Milan and the bone marrow transplant. I experienced first-hand the importance of research : my therapies were the result of studies, experiments and innovation. I was followed by top-level specialists who also showed me the human side of this sector, made up of empathetic doctors, close to the patient's bed and not closed in their laboratories». Here is her story:

However, there are patients who still can't make it, who don't respond to treatments and who are progressing. In Italy, in 2024, 98,700 cancer deaths were estimated among men and 82,000 among women. Research is crucial to ensure that each of them can have a chance.

On Sunday, May 11, in 3,900 squares throughout Italy, thousands of volunteers from the Airc Foundation will be busy distributing 600,000 plants for a minimum donation of 18 euros. The Azalea is also available on Amazon . All information and distribution points on azaleadellaricerca.it The event is also an opportunity to promote the importance of prevention and talk about the most important milestones achieved by cancer research. In the square, a special publication on tumors that affect women will be distributed along with the plant, with testimonials and useful information to dispel many false myths.

On the occasion of the Azalea della Ricerca, many companies have chosen to support Airc to contribute to the advancement of cancer research and to raise awareness of tumors that affect women.

• Dolomia , a Unifarco brand, has donated 25,000 euros to the Laura Formenti Scholarship on ovarian cancer with the aim of contributing to the progress of knowledge of this specific tumor and to improve its therapies.
• Gillette Venus has focused on tumors caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). The company has donated 50,000 euros to co-finance the Investigator Grant project, led by Alessandra Soriani , on cervical cancer . A concrete commitment strengthened by an awareness campaign called “ Cure the visible. Protect yourself from the invisible ”, to promote the importance of screening and prevention and transform awareness into a tool for health protection.
• Maire , with a donation of 25,000 euros, supports the scholarship of Angelo Velle who is engaged in a project on ovarian cancer .
• Mitsubishi Electric renews its commitment to oncology scientific research, supporting a new year of a scholarship on tumors that affect women with a donation of 25,000 euros.
• Melinda has committed to funding a Scholarship on tumors that affect women with a minimum donation of 25,000 euros. In the months of April and May, 0.10 euros will be donated to Airc for each tray of 4 Renetta apples sold in Esselunga, Tigros and Iperal supermarkets. This initiative represents a tangible gesture to support research and make a difference in the lives of many women.
• Stroili has made available a contribution of 25,000 euros that will allow a new Scholarship on tumors that affect women to be announced for a young scientist who will be able to begin work in the first months of 2026.

Photo by Airc Foundation