Inaugural MET.I congress unites Italian experts in the fight against mesothelioma

The first well-attended MET.I congress, standing for Mesothelioma Team Italy, was held on Friday, October 11th, in the Mangiagalli main hall of the Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico in Milan. Born out of a collaboration among a group of Italian oncologists (with extensive experience in mesothelioma patient care), the association Tu.To.R. (which supports patients with rare thoracic tumors), and the Buzzi Unicem Foundation (which has long supported research), "the MET.I Foundation" explained Federica Grosso, one of the team’s co-founders and scientific director of the Milan conference, "aims to encourage research, identify appropriate diagnostic-therapeutic pathways, and create a significant national dataset to deepen our understanding of the disease."

Is this an ambitious project?
Yes, but not impossible, say the promoters who "feel" the social weight of this disease and the urgent demand for effective therapies.
Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer associated with occupational or environmental asbestos exposure, affecting approximately 1,800 people annually in Italy, despite asbestos being banned nationwide since 1992. It is a particularly complex disease to manage, not only due to its aggressive and heterogeneous nature and the scarcity of therapeutic innovations but also because of its symptomatic profile and significant social and psychological impacts on patients and their families. Although immunotherapy introduction has marked progress in treating pleural mesothelioma, it is still insufficient. Clinical and translational studies are needed to find more effective therapies, as is being achieved for more common cancers.

What is MET.I’s Objective?
The founding doctors—Giovanni Luca Ceresoli (Humanitas Gavazzeni Bergamo), Federica Grosso (University Hospital of Alessandria), Giuseppe Lo Russo (National Cancer Institute of Milan), Giulia Pasello (Veneto Oncology Institute/University of Padua), and Paolo Andrea Zucali (Humanitas Milan)—have agreed upon and developed an action plan shared by over 40 Italian centers.
The essential foundation is accurate information combined with widespread training across the national territory to increase knowledge of the tumor’s biology, allow for more precise and timely diagnoses, and ensure broader access to innovative treatments in all care centers.
"MET.I will promote a ‘holistic’ approach to the disease through integrating research with care, alongside appropriate nutritional and psychological support for the patient, fostering a clear awareness among patients, families, and caregivers," explained Laura Abate-Daga, president of the Tu.To.R. association, who, together with Susanna Leto di Priolo, Tu.To.R. representative, facilitated and promoted the project. "We are particularly pleased with the widespread participation and the willingness to create a network to share each center’s experiences for the benefit of people affected by mesothelioma."
MET.I can also count on the valuable organizational and financial support of the Buzzi Unicem Foundation ETS. "Since 2003, the Foundation’s mission," noted president Consolata Buzzi, "has been to promote and support initiatives aimed at improving diagnosis and care."

 

The conference began with welcoming remarks from Lorenzo Rosso (Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico of Milan), who recalled the historic role of occupational medicine in mesothelioma care at the Policlinico of Milan since 1974.
Through specific presentations by the speakers and the day’s panel discussions, a comprehensive overview emerged, serving as a shared awareness of the state of the art: data from Italian epidemiological studies were presented, the critical role of the National Mesothelioma Registry, organized in Regional Operational Centers, was illustrated, emphasizing that reporting cases is not only a legal requirement but also crucial for recognizing occupational disease or for the one-time compensation granted to all patients with this diagnosis. Pathological diagnostics were discussed, particularly highlighting the importance of a network of pathologists to enable accurate and timely diagnoses.

The masterclass in memory of Giulio Rossi, an Italian pathologist known worldwide for his mesothelioma research and who passed away prematurely, was delivered by Professor Francoise Galateau-Salle, a French pathologist whose career has significantly contributed to understanding the disease and who founded the network of French pathologists on mesothelioma.
Significant attention was given to treating the disease and presenting ongoing clinical studies in Italy.

The afternoon took a more operational approach, focusing on the true protagonists of these networks: the patients and associations.

Following President Consolata Buzzi’s welcome, a more operational presentation on the Buzzi Unicem ETS Foundation’s support for MET.I was given by board member Fausto Chilò, who outlined the activities conducted so far and those planned for the future to allow MET.I to pursue its scientific goals with the most efficient legal structure and full financial coverage.

Professor Renato Balduzzi then discussed the role of institutions in this context, recalling his work as Minister of Health in the Monti government and emphasizing how the mesothelioma community has underscored the importance of the environment-health connection, a pillar of One Health. The psychological impact of the disease was addressed, with models of short psychoanalytic groups and psychological distress assessment questionnaires developed through studies by the University of Turin in collaboration with INAIL.

A panel, led by Ivano Caponigro from Tu.To.R., involved volunteer associations active in the field of mesothelioma: AFEVA (Association of Asbestos Victims’ Families) of Casale and Emilia Romagna, VITAS, WALCE, Mesothelioma Support Group, Mesothelioma Fight, Bepi Ferro Foundation, ANMIL, highlighting both what these groups can do for MET.I and what they expect from MET.I.

Finally, the leaders of the four working groups already active in MET.I presented their activities, focusing on defining database variables for a national-scale case registry linked to the National Mesothelioma Registry, ongoing clinical trials, planned fundraising efforts, and the "process quality group" working on analyzing each diagnostic pathway phase to define minimum quality standards for each procedure.

The congress concluded with a panel discussion that brought together numerous clinicians and researchers deeply involved in mesothelioma care and research across Italy, tasked with outlining objectives for the near future.

This day of presentations and study, dedicated to the memory of colleagues Giulio Rossi and Manlio Mencoboni (an oncologist from Genoa), early supporters of the project who passed away suddenly, laid the foundation for collective work to provide a concrete response to those affected by mesothelioma.

Those on the front line in this battle for years have acquired a precise awareness over time: what is essential is a direct and immediate exchange between researchers from all parts of the world and a close connection among clinicians (oncologists and physicians from many other critical disciplines