road to hope it’s a documentary made by the pharmaceutical company GSK in which the story of eight women patients with gynecological cancer is narrated throughout three walking routes through Tenerife. In it they unravel their history, their common experiences and the peculiarities that make them unique. They share among themselves and with anyone who wants to see the documentary all those feelings that flooded their chest from the moment of diagnosis. But above all they share their hope. And it is that, as its name suggests, the appointment is a path to hope, both metaphorical and literal.
This is because the goal of your walking tour is at The hopea municipality located in The rosary, on the island of Tenerife. It is a documentary directed on the one hand to raise awareness about the importance of preventing cancer as little known as gynecological. But on the other hand, it aims to encourage all those people who are going through this or another cancer and infect them with that hope that at times they may give up.
the days were rolled May 27, 28 and 29 Y will be presented in Madridnext month of September. Meanwhile, some of the people who participated in it in front of and behind the cameras are working to transmit that important message that they wanted to put into it. In hypertextual We have spoken with two of them: Irene Roldanmember of the Association of People Affected by Ovarian Cancer (ASACO) and gynecological cancer patient, and Manuela Domenech, commercial director of oncology at GSK in Spain. This is what we have been told.
Why gynecological cancer?
When we talk about gynecological cancer, we refer to a group of cancers that includes ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers. According to Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), In Spain, around 12,300 new cases are diagnosed each year.. The most common is that of the endometrium, with a 46% incidence. In 90% of cases it is diagnosed in early stages, hence it usually has a good prognosis. However, the endometrium, with a 33% incidenceIt is diagnosed much later. Approximately 80% of cases are diagnosed in advanced stages, reaching a mortality rate of 60%.
For all this, it is very important to make it known. Other common cancers in women, such as breast cancer, are backed by numerous awareness and patient support campaigns, but with the gynecological cancer it’s very different. For this reason, GSK decided that it would be good to pay attention to this specific type of cancer with their documentary.
“Ovarian cancer is difficult to diagnose, which is why it is so important to go to the gynecologist and have annual check-ups. The later it is diagnosed, the more the probability of survival decreases, but if you catch it in time, the tumor is localized and can be operated on. Today surgery even allows you to be cured, the chances of it being cured are very high. That was kind of the purpose of choosing gynecological cancer. It was a rare disease and it is very important to be there close to the patients. And because they are women and we wanted to create a concept of women/gynecological cancer, beyond breast cancer”.
Manuela Domenech, Commercial Director of Oncology at GSK
And why Hope?
The creators of this documentary were clear that they wanted everything in it to revolve around hope. The choice of the site was secondary, when they discovered by chance the existence of that little town called La Esperanza. But then, suddenly, it all made sense. “Hope is a woman’s name, a word that inspires us, which says many things and we think we like it, which can identify many of the patients who are currently experiencing gynecological cancer”, says Domenech. “We discovered that there was a small town called La Esperanza and we said: why not make a path to hope?”
This is how the documentary project took the much more emotional concept that they had originally thought of to the most literal. “For us it consists of arriving in a both physical and emotional to the hope”. But in reality the goal was much more than a simple journey. “It is a campaign to give visibility and a voice to all these patients, as well as their families and friends, to resolve the doubts that arise when these diseases are diagnosed…”, describes the commercial director of GSK. “They are very rare cancers and it is important to raise awareness about the need to go to the doctor and reviews with the gynecologist”.
And it is that, especially ovarian cancer, it has such non-specific symptoms that it is sometimes difficult to detect. Irene Roldán knows it well. “Symptoms can be stomach pain, gas, need to urinate… they are so non-specific that sometimes they lead to something from the digestive system”, he exemplifies. “If you add all of that to the fact that you have had a gynecological check-up and they have seen a cyst, you can try to join the points and see that there is something else.” That is why it is so important prevention awareness that is done during the journey to La Esperanza.
A documentary that touches all the topics
We have seen that in this documentary awareness and optimism are fundamental pieces. But that is not the only thing that is treated on the way to La Esperanza.
All kinds of topics are covered, from the diet that patients should have, both to prevent gynecological cancer and when they are already diagnosed, such as the need to have other healthy habits, such as exercise. It even affects topics as taboo as sex. “This type of gynecological cancers are very taboo in society and they mainly affect people of a certain age, young people are the rare ones in quotes, because it usually affects from the age of 50, and they are women who find it more difficult to talk about that type of thing, ”says Roldán. “Being able to normalize the fact that this brings you a series of problems and that there are ways to solve it, with specialized physiotherapists or psycho-oncologists who can help you with your obstacles, is very positive.”
In addition, the member of ASACO highlights the importance of associations such as the one to which she belongs to put these problems on the table. And also so that patients can seek comfort in other people who have gone through the same thing as them.
Domenech agrees with her, who also adds: “The shock when diagnosed with a tumor It’s amazing, there are a lot of doubts. Generating these meeting places where you see that there are other people who are going through it like you, it’s amazing, because of that hope that we say”.
Know yourself better to face gynecological cancer
Among the stories told in the documentary there are cases in which many of the women in the same family suffer from gynecological cancer due to a genetic mutation that is inherited from one another.
For this reason, the importance of, in case of knowing the existence of this mutation, intensifying the prevention strategies. Because we have already seen that diagnosing the disease in time is essential.
Likewise, it affects some strategies that are sometimes not given enough importance. This is the case of the vaccine human papilloma viruswhich helps prevent cervical cancer. “It is very important that both girls and boys put it on, because men are carriers,” recalls Domenech.
All these prevention strategies are gradually helping to improve the prognosis of these diseases. There is more prevention, they take longer to develop and when they do they can be diagnosed earlier, thus reducing mortality. But there is still a long way to go, since, as Domenech correctly recalls, there are still many cases in which the cancer reappears. This is something that scientists must influence, in search of solutions, but it must be known to everyone.
That is why the documentary is so important Road to Hope. Because it is not just the story of eight unique, strong and brave women. It is a call to the attention of the whole society about gynecological cancer. But, above all, as its title indicates, it is a song of hope. For Manuela Domenech, the moment of arriving in that little town in Tenerife was a revitalizing experience. Irene Roldán describes it as a unique situation, which put an end to a fun, exciting and sentimental experience. They all arrived with their emotions running high and showed that hope can indeed be achieved. Although scientific research is vital for this. Because without science there is neither future nor hope.