The Peritoneum Association has emphasized that this Friday, October 30, the World Day of Cancer and Peritoneal Tumors will take place for the first time. On the occasion of this anniversary, the entity has planned a collective fabric action in Madrid and the installation of information tables in five hospitals in the capital, as well as in centers in Córdoba and Barcelona with a long history in peritoneal oncology.
"Giving visibility to cancer and peritoneal tumors is much more than talking about these diseases: it is contributing to ensuring that those living with them stop feeling invisible, have access to the information and care they need, and know that they are not alone," explained the president of the organization, Sandra Lara de Liz, who added that "many patients read 'peritoneal carcinomatosis' in their medical reports without really understanding what it means or knowing the importance of being evaluated by teams with specific experience in peritoneal oncology."
In this regard, she pointed out that it is essential to "change this reality." "Better informing patients and facilitating their access to specialized care is fundamental," she declared, emphasizing that awareness initiatives are aimed at spreading the existence of complex management tumors that require more research to understand them in depth and develop more effective therapeutic options.
Information tables in hospitals and fabric action
The information tables will be attended by volunteers from the association, patients, and family members at the University Hospital of Fuenlabrada and MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Madrid; Moisès Broggi in Sant Joan Despí and del Mar, in Barcelona; and University Reina Sofía, in Córdoba. Throughout the day, informative material will be distributed, general doubts will be resolved, and efforts will be made to give greater visibility to cancer and peritoneal tumors, with a service schedule from 9 to 13:30 hours.
In parallel, the initiative "Tejiendo Unidos, Sumando Vida" will consist of the creation of a collaborative crochet blanket. On Saturday, October 31, from 10:30 to 14:00 hours, at the Eugenio Trías Municipal Public Library (Retiro Park, Madrid), and on Friday, November 6, from 17:30 to 20:30 hours, at El Rincón de las Lanas y las Labores (Málaga), anyone interested can contribute a hand-knitted square, type "granny square," and join the collective assembly of all the pieces to complete one or more blankets.
"With this day, the associations want patients and their families to have their own day to be heard and demand more information, more visibility, and better support," they have summarized from the Peritoneum Association, which reminds that the peritoneum is the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity and covers a good part of the organs it houses. Tumors that compromise it can arise in the peritoneum itself, such as peritoneal mesothelioma, or originate in other organs.