Publishing date: 29 May 2026 Immagine notizia Immagine Paragrafo Ten new highly specialised professionals in the field of breast cancer care defended their theses and received their Level II Master’s degrees in Breast Medicine from the University of Insubria, at a ceremony held on 29 May at Villa Toeplitz in Varese. In this seventh edition too, the advanced training programme attracted doctors from all over Italy, who were able to specialise under the guidance of a qualified team of lecturers led by Professor Francesca Rovera. She is President of the School of Medicine and Director of the University’s Breast Cancer Research Centre, as well as Director of the Breast Unit at ASST Sette Laghi. Professor Rovera exemplarily combines research and clinical work with a listening ear and a focus on patient care, qualities that make Varese’s Breast Unit a national benchmark.The Master’s in Breast Cancer, unique in Italy, was established to maintain a high and constant focus on prevention and personalised care for breast cancer. Aimed at graduates in Medicine and Surgery, it aims to train highly specialised professionals in the field of breast cancer, providing comprehensive training in the diagnosis and often complex multidisciplinary management of breast cancer, integrating clinical skills with a humanised approach to care.The aim is to train doctors who focus not only on the disease as a biological phenomenon, but above all on the individual, with their life story, culture and experience. Doctors capable of building a relationship based on shared responsibility and of involving the patient in the decision-making process.Graduates of the Master’s programme have acquired the scientific foundations and the theoretical and practical training necessary for clinical practice, together with a high level of professional, decision-making and operational autonomy, through a programme characterised by a holistic approach to the health issues of the individual, whether healthy or ill, including in relation to the chemical, physical, biological and social environment surrounding them. They have also deepened the knowledge required to critically evaluate, from a clinical perspective, data relating to the health status of the individual, addressing priority health issues responsibly in the areas of prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and rehabilitation. Immagine The graduation ceremony opened with the keynote lecture ‘Breast Medicine in Art’ by Professor Giorgio Maria Baratelli, a breast surgeon, senior consultant in Breast Surgery at Erba Hospital and member of the scientific committee of the Umberto Veronesi Academy of Breast Medicine.This was followed by the thesis presentations, which focused on some of the most current topics in breast surgery. The papers addressed topics ranging from new diagnostic techniques for breast cancer to surgical and radiotherapy innovations, from the management of HER2-low tumours to the de-escalation of axillary surgery. Ample attention was also given to prevention and early diagnosis, with in-depth analysis of the role of breast density, artificial intelligence and 3D ultrasound in screening programmes. Other papers analysed the integration of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of the side effects of cancer therapies, the relationship between nutrition and breast cancer, and new perspectives in the management of the disease during and after pregnancy.‘It is an honour and a privilege to experience these educational moments, in which we address not only clinical skills but also the ethical, organisational and historical dimensions of this extraordinary discipline,’ confirms Francesca Rovera, ‘the ability to communicate clearly and with humanity with patients, family members and carers, collaboration between different professionals in group healthcare activities, particularly in the organisation of Breast Units, new developments in surgery for the management of breast cancer, and the fundamental role of genetics in both diagnostic and therapeutic personalisation.”Present at the graduation ceremony were several lecturers from the Master’s programme and Adele Patrini, president of Caos, the Breast Cancer Support Centre, and president of the One Health Social Sustainability Foundation, which has always stood alongside the Insubria Research Centre and the Varese Breast Unit in supporting their excellent commitment to cancer care and research. “As a patient,” commented Patrini, “Adele extends a special thank you to Professor Rovera, in the firm belief that it is the patients themselves who inspire her rigorous and passionate daily work in this battle for civilisation that is the fight against cancer.”