Novartis in Slovenia is joining Movember thus raising awareness of prostate cancer

In November, Novartis in Slovenia will join the international Movember movement. The company prepared several awareness activities for their associates, such as professional lectures, meetings and online podcasts with specialists from different fields - oncology and urology specialists and other guests. During the month, associates are also encouraged to schedule an appointment for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurement, which will be free of charge for them. »This year, we are joining Movember on several levels, which are aimed to raise awareness among our associates and their families about prostate cancer and other similar diseases. We were additionally motivated to join Movember by the story of our colleague Andrej Rupar, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer at one of the company’s health check-ups. Because of this experience, we are even more aware of the importance of prevention and awareness in work environment,« said Katarina Klemenc, Head Communications and Patient Engagement in Novartis Slovenia.

Patient associations play an exceptional role in providing the right information and assistance to patients and their caregivers. That is why Novartis in Slovenia also supports the Slovenian Oncology Society for Men OnkoMan. This year, the funds were donated to two of their programs - the Circle of Life and their awareness campaign "30 seconds can save your life", which raises awareness of the importance of early detection of testicular cancer.

Novartis with breakthrough solutions in oncology 

Novartis is the only pharmaceutical company which is pursuing four different cancer treatment platforms. These include radioligand therapy, cell and gene therapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy, with an opportunity to combine these platforms for the best outcomes for cancer patients. Among other, Novartis is also looking for solutions for treatment with radioligand therapy in patients with advanced prostate cancer. With Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (mCRPC), the tumor spreads to other parts of the body, such as neighboring organs or bones and remains unresponsive to hormone treatment. The five-year survival rate for patients with mCRPC is approximately 15%, so therefore, the need for new treatment options is enormous². The new therapeutic approach allows targeted delivery of radiation to the tumor, while limiting damage to surrounding normal tissue. As part of Movember activities. Maurizio Mariani, Head of RLT Research at Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, will held web lecture on new treatment possibilities for patients with advanced prostate cancer.