We all know that physical activity is good for us. But the idea that it could be prescribed as part of a cancer patient’s treatment plan — before, during and after therapy — is a new frontier, and it lies at the heart of a project directly involving the Institute for Social Security (ISS).
The subject was discussed on the evening of 25 September at the Hotel Savoia in Rimini, where the Rotary Club San Marino met in an Interclub session with the Rotary Club Rimini and Rotary Club Rimini-Riviera for the first of a series of public information evenings dedicated to the “Spazi di Salute” (“Spaces for Health”) service project.
The guest speaker was Professor Francesco Bettariga, PhD in Exercise Medicine, a researcher and lecturer whose scientific work focuses on physical exercise as a tool for prevention and treatment, with particular attention to oncology.
Bettariga presented the scientific evidence that is reshaping how physical activity is viewed within cancer treatment: exercise, when properly prescribed and personalised, can support patients throughout their entire course of therapy, helping to improve physical fitness and quality of life, manage side effects, and increase tolerance to treatment.
This was not simply a matter of public outreach. Earlier that same day, a training session for healthcare staff from the ISS and the AUSL Romagna had already taken place at Rimini Hospital.
This is the essence of the project: integrating physical exercise into prehabilitation and rehabilitation programmes, training healthcare workers on the ward, informing the public, and at the same time improving the spaces and equipment available to patients.
“Spazi di Salute” was born from a collaboration between the Rotary Clubs of San Marino, Rimini, Rimini-Riviera, Riccione-Cattolica and Riccione Perla Verde, united under the Area Romagna Sud e Repubblica di San Marino, together with the association Oltre la Ricerca ODV, the Institute for Social Security and the AUSL Romagna, under the patronage of the Medical and Dental Associations (Ordini dei Medici Chirurghi e Odontoiatri) of San Marino and Rimini.
It is a network bringing together San Marino’s and Romagna’s public healthcare systems, research, professionals and volunteers, with a goal that reaches beyond territorial borders: to help build a new culture of care, one in which movement is not just generic advice but a genuine part of treatment.
