Reducing the incidence of potentially preventable cancers, improving patient survival and quality of life, and supporting survivors, not forgetting caregivers, are the main objectives of the National Strategy to Fight Cancer by 2030.
The 2021-2030 strategy (delayed by the pandemic) was released this Friday by the General Directorate of Health (DGS) and has been in public consultation since Thursday.
Its objectives are achieved according to four pillars: Prevention, Early Detection, Diagnosis and Treatment and Survivors.
In Portugal, the Oncological diseases are among the leading causes of death.having been responsible for around 25% of deaths in 2019 (28,464), “despite a relative stability in the mortality rate”, between 2002 and 2017.
In the analysis of the evolution of standardized mortality rates, it appears that oncological diseases are, since 2015, the main cause of death, surpassing cardiovascular diseases”, reads the proposal prepared by the National Oncological Diseases Program of the DGS.
According to the document, this reversal of the two main causes of death in Portugal is more marked in men for “several reasons”, such as a higher incidence of cancer in men, the relative distribution of the main oncological diagnoses and their specific mortality, the efficacy of public health strategies, mitigation of the risk of cardiovascular diseases and the efficacy of therapeutic interventions in the cardiovascular area.
cancer is also main cause of years of life potentially lost in Portugal, mainly those of the lung (199), breast (121) and colon and rectum (117).
Analyzing the “years of potential life lost”, at a standardized rate per 100,000 inhabitants, cancer is responsible for 1,159 years of potential life lost, followed by diseases of the circulatory system (471), of the digestive system (173) and of the respiratory system (107).
Among the different cancer diagnoses, the main causes of death are lung cancer (17% of all cancer deaths), colon cancer (9%), stomach cancer (8%), breast and prostate cancer (7% each). one) and hematology (9%). %).
The document highlights that the 50,151 new cases of cancer diagnosed in Portugal in 2018 corresponded to an increase of 3,427 new cases compared to 2010.
Among the 10 most frequent causes of cancer, three are strongly associated with tobacco use and are responsible for one in six diagnoses (lung, bladder and pancreas cancer), another two, despite having population-based screening programs , account for one in three new diagnoses annually (breast cancer and colon and rectal cancer).
The document points out that “the design of efficient public policies for cancer mitigation depends on the understanding of its modifiable determinants”, namely, the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, overweight and obesity, sedentary lifestyle, inadequate diet and high exposure to radiation. ultraviolet.
In men, for example, the elimination of exposure to tobacco smoke would allow a reduction of 81% in lung cancer, 75% in larynx, 51% in esophagus and 50% in cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx.
In the case of women, eliminating exposure to tobacco would reduce laryngeal cancer by 62% and lung cancer by 58%, and consuming more fruit would reduce oral cavity cancer by 42%.
The document argues that, “given the epidemiological relevance of cancer, the rapid scientific and technological development, in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases, it is imperative to allow Portugal to follow this evolution, to improve the quality of its action with users in risk, patients and survivors, without neglecting support for caregivers and family members”.
“It will also be necessary to promote multisectoral policies that favor the evolution towards a society where the modifiable determinants of cancer are increasingly smaller, and thus reduce its incidence,” he stresses.
The National Strategy to Fight Cancer will be integrated into the National Health Plan with a 2030 horizon and was aligned with the European Plan to Fight Cancer, centered on the citizen, the document reads.
Source: Observadora
