Scudetto to Virtus Bologna dedicated to Polonara. What is the myeloid leukaemia that struck the player
The Virtus Bologna and national basketball player was diagnosed with the disease
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'Dedicated to Polonara'. In just 24 hours, from the infernal anguish over the condition of the unfortunate teammate, diagnosed with myeloid leukaemia, to the euphoria of scudetto number 17 for Segafredo Bologna, after the triumphant victory over Germani Brescia (96-74). With an obligatory thought for 'Achi', who was hospitalised at Sant'Orsola for treatment. The same hospital where Achille Polonara had undergone surgery for a testicular neoplasm in October 2023.
Force Achilles
The homage is transversal. Heartfelt. Touching. The entire Virtus team warms up with jersey number 33; Clyburn (unavailable due to injury) wears his friend's jersey for the entire game behind the bench; in the stands the Vu Nere fans unfurl a banner: 'The real battle to win is off the court. Come on Achille, the Nord is with you'. And down went the applause of the Brescia crowd. Achille Polonara says thank you with a post in which he is embracing his wife, admitted to the Sant'Orsola Malpighi Hospital where he has already started specific therapies.
Tc Pozzecco: we are with you
A message also shared by coach Pozzecco: 'The only thing that matters right now. On behalf of everyone, we are with you great Achille'. Federal president Gianni Petrucci also visited Polonara in hospital. An entire world gathered around Polonara and his family, his wife Erika and their two small children, Vitoria and Achille Jr. This is the night of joy, with the mind always turned to that room at Sant'Orsola. To his companion, to his friend. "Dedicated to Polonara'.
What Myeloid Leukaemia is
Myeloid leukaemia, the disease that Virtus Bologna and National Basketball team player Achille Polonara was diagnosed with, is a type of blood cancer that affects myeloid cells, i.e. those that are found in the bone marrow and turn into red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Early diagnosis and timely treatment are very important in dealing with this blood cancer. There are two main forms of myeloid leukaemia: the acute form and the chronic form. The former is a rapidly evolving disease, which affects younger people more and requires immediate and aggressive treatment. It develops rapidly and causes a build-up of immature cells in the blood and bone marrow, preventing the normal formation of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. Chronic myeloid leukaemia, on the other hand, is more common after the age of 70 and has a slower course and progresses over time: it is caused by a genetic mutation that makes myeloid cells abnormal and capable of uncontrolled proliferation, but it progresses more slowly than the acute form.
Each year 4 thousand cases
.According to data from the Airtum National Cancer Registry, there are approximately 1,200 to 1,500 new cases of acute myeloid leukaemia and between 2,000 and 2,500 cases of chronic myeloid leukaemia in Italy every year. This means that a total of between 3,200 and 4,000 cases are diagnosed each year. Thanks to advances in research and new therapies, especially for chronic myeloid leukaemia, the prognosis has greatly improved 'following the introduction of new drugs that allow the tumour cells to be targeted,' recalls the Istituto Superiore di Sanità. The likelihood of recovery, the Iss emphasises, 'depends on the stage of the disease (i.e. whether it is circumscribed or whether it has spread to other organs), as well as the patient's age and general health conditions'.
