MatchTrial and the INVI Association sign a collaboration agreement

On February 10, MatchTrial and the INVI Association for Male Breast Cancer signed a collaboration agreement, focusing on helping the male population. Breast cancer in men is an invisible reality about which awareness must be raised in society. People need to be cognizant that men, too, can develop breast cancer, despite its low incidence (accounting for 1-2% of all breast cancer diagnoses).

Màrius Soler is the founder of INVI and lives with breast cancer. Since his cancer was detected, he decided to dedicate himself, body and soul, to giving visibility to men suffering from this disease through the INVI Association. All men suffering from breast cancer are invisible in the eyes of society, a disease that the vast majority of us think can only affect women.

With the MatchTrial App, we make information on all active clinical trials on cancer in Spain available to patients, providing access to studies focused on breast cancer in men that make it possible to identify more effective and individualized therapies that increase survival with less toxicity for patients, improving care and quality of life after diagnosis.

Both parties have the common goal of encouraging clinical research on cancer, as well as accompanying the patient and/or family member in the process of seeking an alternative treatment.

In addition, MatchTrial works to build awareness through information that is useful to the patient. Breast cancer in men has a lower survival rate than in women, primarily because it is diagnosed at a more advanced stage (with greater lymph node involvement) and patients are older. Awareness, prevention and early detection are therefore vital.

Unfortunately, in many cases this cancer is diagnosed late because of the lack of importance given to the first symptoms. It takes 6-to-8 months on average for men to start worrying about them and to seek treatment, due to the lack of social awareness. Specifically, the chairperson of INVI states that 80% of tumors in these patients are in stages with greater axillary involvement, where the risk of relapse is higher.

Another way in which we work to support this group is psychological. The patient suffers significant social stigma and tends to hide his condition from his circles, due to the association of this condition with the female sex. INVI’s chairperson states that

“educational and academic work is essential to help visualize and normalize this condition in men. Achieving this would allow men to be aware that they, too can suffer from it and have their disease diagnosed early, so that, in the event of any palpable nodule in the chest or armpit, men go and find the help they need from healthcare professionals quickly”.

We are very excited to be able to improve people’s lives while enhancing clinical research. Thank you, INVI, for allowing us to join forces: together we make the invisible visible.