A diagnosis of breast cancer is not only an immediate life-threatening situation. It is also a psychological shock, whose repercussions can extend well past a patient’s recovery and jeopardise the leading of a normal life in the long run. However, not everyone reacts the same way to such a radical change of circumstances, which can imply invasive clinical interventions, radiotherapy and harsh chemotherapy regimens – and later strict surveillance to watch for recurrence.

This event, which was one of the first in the last 18 months to welcome back in-person participants as well as those online, had one question at its core: what do we need to know about digital health and patient-centred medicine?

"Art and science investigate the same fundamental questions - why are we here and how the world works. They also share the same basic approach - creative exploration. It is not surprising then that the benefits of the interactions between science and art are becoming increasingly more recognised", says Julia Salaroli, a professional dancer and choreographer who co-coordinates Bridges to the unknown - Crossing Art with Science with neuroscientist Patrícia Correia.

An interdisciplinary consortium of experts from Italy, Finland, Israel, Greece, and Portugal was formed in 2017 in response to a HORIZON 2020 call for Personalised Medicine research and innovation solutions. The product of this collaboration was BOUNCE, a funded project developed to explore factors that influence breast cancer patients’ long-term psychological resilience and their capacity to resume a normal everyday life and work, following breast cancer treatments. 

The ceremony marking the conclusion of the Botton-Champalimaud Pancreatic Cancer Centre was attended by the King and Queen of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia, and the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.