It is the third most diagnosed neoplasm in Italy, the second in the male population, with about 28 thousand diagnoses a year (Aiom estimate), yet – according to an EMG survey for AstraZeneca – 67% of Italians say they know little or nothing about cancer at the lung. But about 9 out of 10 Italians among the interviewees believe it is important to carry out information campaigns, aimed at the entire population and 73% emphasize the importance of monitoring and the proximity of doctors for a better treatment path. The fight against disinformation, assistance, diagnostic homogeneity and the patient’s psychological balance will be at the center of the open innovation initiative ‘Breathink – we think together about lung cancer’ (www.breathinkchallenge.com) promoted by the multinational Anglo-Swedish, in Milan on 10 and 11 November. Healthcare professionals, start-ups, academics and innovation experts will meet with the aim of generating innovative solutions that can truly support clinicians, patients and caregivers in addressing the disease better, the company reports in a note. In order to identify and fill the gaps present in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with lung cancer, the open innovation project was born last June. Starting from listening to all the interlocutors involved in the diagnostic-therapeutic process – reads the note – we worked to collect ideas and external stimuli with the aim of generating innovative solutions that can really support clinicians, patients and caregivers in dealing with disease at best. After two phases of listening and discussion, which involved in 4 months a large panel composed of health professionals (oncologists, surgeons, radiotherapists, pulmonologists, molecular biologists and psycho-oncologists) and patient associations (Walce – Women against lung cancer in Europe and Ipop – Together for pulmonary oncology patients), the project has reached its final phase and the 5 gaps and the consequent challenges to be faced to improve the diagnosis and treatment path of the patient with lung cancer have been identified: general misinformation on the state of the disease and the treatment path also linked to communication difficulties between patients, specialists and patient associations; inhomogeneity in the management of the diagnostic process and in the exchange of information within the multidisciplinary team that hinders the patient’s timely access to the most effective therapy for their type of tumor; need to integrate the use of Patient reported outcomes (Pros); the patient’s need to be informed, reassured and promptly supported in the prevention, recognition and management of adverse events, with the aim of improving the quality of life, motivation and therapeutic adherence; presence of a reference figure, who provides constant support throughout the treatment process and with whom to build a relationship of trust, such as the oncologist, for a correct management of the disease. “In recent years, significant progress has been made in the fight against lung cancer – says Silvia Novello, president of Walce onlus -: from diagnostic techniques to treatment prospects. This is a completely new scenario for the patient who today can count on an increase in the perspective of life and, at the same time, the need to analyze and understand completely new needs, both of the patient and of the caregiver, emerges. This is why we believe that projects like this are of the highest value; both because they bring all the figures involved in the treatment process to the table and because they start from listening to needs, to generate shared solutions together “. On these points, on 10 and 11 November at the Milan Luiss Hub healthcare professionals alongside start-ups, academics and innovation experts will meet on multidisciplinary work tables in the last phase of “Breathink” dedicated to creation. Objective: to conceive and select the most innovative, effective project that is close to the needs of the stakeholders involved, which AstraZeneca will then undertake to implement. “Ensuring access to early diagnosis paths and, at the same time, guaranteeing an adequate therapeutic path for patients with lung cancer. This is our goal and we want to work with all the players in the system looking forward to the future of care, to making innovation ever more real and therefore accessible to patients – underlines Francesca Patarnello, Vice president Market access & Government affairs AstraZeneca – Being protagonists of a revolutionary change in oncology also means taking on the challenges that involve lung cancer patients, caregivers and oncologists, making us promoters of projects such as “Breathink” in order to find together solutions that can improve the diagnostic-therapeutic path. “Lung cancer – according to AIOM – represents the leading cause of death from cancer in men and the second in women: about 34,000 deaths from this neoplasm (as of 2021), 23,400 in men and 10,000 in women neither. The 5-year survival of patients with lung cancer is still limited and adversely affected by the large proportion of patients who are diagnosed with advanced disease. The 5-year net survival after diagnosis is estimated to be 16% in men and 23% in women.