The emotional, mental and spiritual needs of cancer patients, their families and caregivers in Malta will be studied in more depth as the Emanuele Cancer Research Foundation Malta plans to allocate more funds to this area.

The psychosocial aspect of cancer, from the distress of being diagnosed followed by treatment, may not always be recognised and the ECRFM is planning to facilitate research in this area.

Foundation chair Marie Louise Coleiro Preca said: “There has never been a better time to delve into research in this discipline, when globally we are experiencing the psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In 2020, there were 2,500 newly diagnosed cancer cases, and this number will continue to grow. And, although survival rates are continuously improving, between 900 to 1,000 people still die from cancer each year in Malta. 

According to the national cancer plan, by 2040, cancer mortality is forecast to reach approximately 35 per cent of all deaths in females and 40 per cent  of all deaths in males.

Ms Coleiro Preca was speaking during the official signing ceremony between the ECRFM and the University of Malta granting €1.2 million for two Maltese cutting-edge cancer research projects.

Presided over by Research and Innovation Minister Owen Bonnici, the signing secures the first tranche from a total of €2.5 million, which is going towards supporting University of Malta academics with their cancer research.

Together with the backing of the Fondazione Terzo Pilastro-Internazionale, theECRFMprovides an unparalleled opportunity to put Malta on the map in the fight against cancer, while attracting collaborators from major laboratories across the globe.

Touring the lab, which got an injection of €2.5 million for the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment last year, Dr Bonnici said his government believed research was key to resolving the challenges society faced, especially in health and medical treatment.

“Research in this area is crucial as it touches the lives of so many and we support every initiative to strengthen research in cancer treatment,” Dr Bonnici said.

This sentiment was echoed by University Rector Alfred Vella who said he was grateful for the support given by both the Ministry, to keep elevating Malta’s research profile, and by the ECRFM for investing not just in the projects themselves but in the massive talent the University was proud to be the home of.

“Better understanding this complex, ever-changing disease is not just a research interest but a research duty of these academics, and I hope their success will naturally lead to the funding of more discoveries,” Prof. Vella said.