Treatment in which radiation is used to destroy a tumor or prevent its cells from enlarging. These radiations are not seen, and during application the patient does not feel anything. Radiotherapy can be used in combination with chemotherapy or other resources in the treatment of tumors.
The patients at Instituto Mário Penna inspire us every day. They are the real heroes who find strength and optimism to face cancer treatment. Meet and celebrate with our Heroes each stage won, each achievement achieved.
“I will be a much more human doctor after living the experience of this disease on my skin. Here at the Mário Penna Institute, I have found a lot of positivity in the nursing staff and in the doctors to overcome this phase”.
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Nicolle Mendes de Almeida , 21 years old – Cancer patient at Instituto Mário Penna
The Mário Penna Institute’s Medical Residency Committee (COREME) has been holding virtual Multidisciplinary Meetings with the aim of promoting discussions of clinical cases attended at the institution and, thus, providing the physicians with updates.
According to Dr. Ellias Lima, oncologist and Coordinator of COREME, the objective is to bring the clinical staff together, promote medical residency, plan treatments in a multidisciplinary way, update and promote knowledge.
The meeting is online on a remote digital platform and involves resident physicians, assistant physicians and preceptors. They take place once a month, with educational support from the pharmaceutical industry.
The last meeting took place on April 9th, with the theme “Update on the treatment of Small Cell Lung Cancer”, with the collaboration of the Astrazeneca Laboratory.
Instituto Mário Penna invests in the improvement of its clinical staff to increasingly provide a humanized, recognized and excellent service to its thousands of cancer patients.
Precision Oncology, also known as personalized oncology, aims to combine clinicopathological data established for the patient with the molecular profile of tumors to create more accurate diagnostic, prognostic and treatment strategies tailored to the needs of each patient.
Dr. Letícia Braga, Coordinator of the Translational Research Laboratory at NEP, Precision Oncology treated the disease in a personalized way. “We, researchers at the Translational Research Laboratory, are working on projects funded by the National Oncology Program (PRONON) that seek to identify biomarkers that can be used in genetic testing, such as predictive markers for personalized treatment and markers that predispose to a particular type of cancer in families, helping physicians make more effective clinical decisions”.
Also according to Dr. Letícia, last year alone, 164 women with cervical cancer, 102 with ovarian cancer and 99 with breast cancer participated in the studies and contributed to achieving the goals of the NEP projects.
But while the results of this research are not available in clinical practice, what does Precision Oncology have to do with my cancer treatment?
“Precision Oncology represents the 4 P’s of medicine: Predictive, Preventive, Personalized and Participatory. Through this knowledge, physicians are able to guide interventions in the patient’s own daily life, change in lifestyle, exercise and eating habits, which directly depends on the specific attitudes of each one.”
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* Text written by Letícia Braga, Biologist, Post-doctorate in Experimental Oncology, Coordinator of the Translational Research Laboratory of the Teaching and Research Nucleus (NEP)
Instituto Mário Penna celebrated its 50th anniversary on June 28, with special celebrations due to the pandemic. One of them was the launch of the Mário Penna Memorial, a space inside the Hospital Luxemburgo, where the history of the institution is told on the walls and interactive totems for those who pass by.
The launch of the Memorial took place on June 26 with the presence of board members, advisors and representatives of those who were part of the IMP. There were few people in person, following all the safety protocols required by health agencies. On the occasion, guests also watched the institutional video produced by ECA (Space of Culture and Art), especially for 50 years.
The history of Instituto Mário Penna – named after the tireless doctor who became a pioneer in cancer treatment in Minas Gerais – begins in 1969, when Célia Janotti had the brilliant idea of helping cancer patients who were in a shelter located in Santa Efigênia district. She was the inspiration for Mário Penna’s work in the fight against cancer.
In 1971, the Associação dos Amigos do Hospital Mário Penna was created. The group has achieved several improvements for patients – the main one being the devolution of humanity in the treatment of the terminally ill.
Today, 50 years after the beginning of this trajectory, the Mário Penna Institute continues in the fight against cancer. With the help of collaborators, members of the clinical staff, volunteers, donors and partners, this story, which began with the careful eye of those who care for others, will continue to be written for many years.
“The Memorial is an extremely important space where everything that has been done at the institution until today is registered. We have come a long way over these years and currently serve patients from more than 600 municipalities in Minas Gerais. Today we are writing this story, which will forever remain embedded in this space at the Hospital Luxemburgo”; emphasizes Marco Antônio.
