Insieme possiamo fare tanto per aiutare Silvana

Salve a tutti sono una mamma mi chiamo Teresa Pellitteri sono in cerca di aiuto per comprare un farmaco inibitore per mia figlia di soli 40 anni affetta da leiomiosarcoma (tumore raro) di alto grado.

Silvana è la ragazza nella foto insieme alla sua bimba di 5 anni.

Nel 2018 è stata operata d'urgenza per un fibroma nell'utero, con una tecnica denominata "morcellamento".

Purtroppo la diagnosi dell'esame istologico rilevo' un Leimiosarcoma uterino (tumore maligno raro). A causa del morcellamento le cellule tumorali sono state sparse in tutto l'addome pelvico.

Ed è qui che inizia il suo calvario.

Si e' sottoposta a circa 9 interventi ma senza successo, in quanto il tumore si e' sempre ripresentato.

Siamo stati nei migliori centri oncologici in Italia e anche all'estero in particolare in Francia a Lione, dove attraverso un esame specifico e' stata rilevata la presenza di una mutazione genetica del BRCA.

L'oncologa ha proposto di chiedere l'accesso ad un farmaco inibitore "Olaparib" presso l'associazione sanitaria italiana data la presenza di tale mutazione.

Purtroppo l'agenzia italiana del farmaco AIFA non riconosce ancora questo farmaco per il tumore all'utero con la mutazione BRCA come nel caso di Silvana.

L'oncologo che ha sempre seguito Silvana, visto la scarsa risposta alle varie chemioterapie e il progredire della malattia afferma che si potrebbe abbinare questo farmaco "Olaparib" con la chemioterapia attuale con la speranza di bloccare la malattia in modo da dare la possibilità a Silvana di continuare a vivere e poter stare accanto alla sua piccola bimba di 5anni.

Purtroppo per noi come famiglia acquistare questo farmaco "Olaparib" comporta dei costi molto elevati ogni mese, e noi non riusciamo da soli con le nostre risorse ad acquistarlo, per questo stiamo chiedendo aiuto ai nostri amici e conoscenti nella speranza tutti insieme di poter aiutare Silvana.

Il vostro contributo puo' fare tanto....

Ringrazio sin da adesso tutti coloro che avranno nel cuore di contribuire a questa mia iniziativa di mamma disperata.

Together we can do a lot to help a young mum with a rare cancer

Hi everyone,

My name is Teresa and I am a mother in search of help for my daughter aged only 40 years, who is affected by a high grade leiomyosarcoma, a rare tumor.

Silvana is the lady in the photo, with her 5-year-old daughter.

In 2018 she had an emergency surgery to remove a fibroid in the uterus, which was operated with a technique called “morcellation” – cutting of the fibroid tissue into smaller pieces using a device called a morcellator, which electrically or mechanically cuts the tissue into smaller pieces. Unfortunately, the histological exam thereafter revealed a uterine leiomyosarcoma, a rare malignant cancer.

Due to the “morcellation” technique, the tumor was spread throughout her pelvis and abdomen.

That is when her calvary began.

She has undergone nine surgeries without success, as the tumor keeps on re-occurring.

We have visited the best oncology centers in Italy as well as abroad, in Leon, France.

It was at the oncology center in France that a comprehensive genetic exam revealed the presence of a mutation in the BRCA gene. Thus, given the presence of this mutation, the oncologist proposed to request the access to an inhibitor drug called “Olaparib”, from the Italian health care system.

However, the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) does not yet approve the use of this drug for tumors of the uterus with BRCA mutation as it would be in Silvana’s case, but only for tumors of the ovaries harboring the same BRCA mutation.

Nevertheless, we contacted the Agency, which suggested to try to get access to the drug through a specific request, by the oncologist, to the various pharmaceutical companies manufacturing the drug, with the hope that they would be able to provide the drug for “compassionate use”. Unfortunately, this request was not accepted either.

Since the Italian Healthcare System does not provide access to this drug as “compassionate use”, even to such a young patient, the only option we are left with is to purchase this inhibitor drug “Olaparib” ourselves.

Silvana has undergone every chemotherapy available for this disease, but none of them has been able to eradicate the tumor. Since leiomyosarcoma is a rare tumor, there is not yet an effective treatment. The only outcome of the chemotherapies that Silvana has tried, has been the slowing down of disease progression.

The oncologist that has been following Silvana’s case since the beginning has confirmed that, due to the poor response to the various treatments and the progression of the disease, the inhibitor drug “Olaparib” could be combined with her current treatment, with the hope to stop the disease progression and give Silvana the chance to live and remain with her 5-year-old daughter and her husband.

Unfortunately, purchasing this drug would mean extremely high monthly costs for us and we are thus unable to purchase this drug as a family, counting only on our resources. For this reason, we would like to request your help, with the hope that we altogether can help Silvana. Your contribution can go a long way…

I would like to thank already now each one of you who will be moved in their heart to contribute to this desperate mother initiative of mine.