On Human Rights Day, eight signatories, including patient associations and a medical society, released an open letter highlighting the serious cancer situation in Portugal. Every day, 191 people are diagnosed, and 92 die from the disease, underscoring the urgent need for a coordinated and firm political response.
“Cancer is currently one of the main challenges for public health and the sustainability of the National Health Service (SNS),” stated AC Rim, Careca Power, Europacolon Portugal, Associação EVITA – Cancro Hereditário, Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro, Plataforma Saúde em Diálogo, Pulmonale, and the Sociedade Portuguesa de Literacia em Saúde in a document received by the Lusa agency.
The associations call for five areas of priority intervention: strengthening primary prevention, early diagnosis and screenings, equitable access to treatments, data generation and collection with a national cancer registry, and increased investment in innovation.
Key proposals include creating a specific entity for oncology, revising the “Via Verde” for cancer treatment, and responsibly using artificial intelligence for individualized treatment plans.
The signatories emphasize their essential role in defending patients’ rights, promoting health literacy, and providing psychosocial support.
They demand institutional recognition and adequate funding to fully accomplish their mission.
The letter invites immediate political action, with formal meetings requested with the Government, Ministry of Health, Parliamentary Health Committee, Directorate-General of Health, SNS Executive Board, and National Authority for Medicines and Health Products (Infarmed).
The associations seek concrete and scheduled public commitments, accompanied by evaluation and periodic review indicators.
“Each delay in screening, examination, or access to treatments results in lost lives and quality of life,” warned the signatories.
For the associations, the fight against cancer should be a national goal, requiring political courage, vision, and humanity.
In 2022, 69,567 new cancer cases and 33,762 deaths were recorded, making it the second leading cause of death in the country.
There are currently over 203,000 five-year prevalent cases—those diagnosed with cancer and alive after that period.
This number is expected to increase significantly by 2050, largely due to an aging population.
The trend is also concerning among younger people, where diagnoses are rising, aligning with international patterns.
The letter also warns about the economic and social impact of the disease.
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), cancer could reduce the average life expectancy in Portugal by 1.9 years by 2050.
In 2021, more than 629,000 healthy life years were lost, severely affecting labor participation and incurring costs to Social Security and the SNS.
Despite the situation’s gravity, the associations note that Portugal continues to invest less in health than the European average, about 38% less.
In 2024, total health expenditure surpassed 29 billion euros, with 18.5 billion going to the SNS.
Oncological drugs represented only 4% of this expenditure, even though increased investment in oncology is shown to lead to better outcomes and higher survival rates, the associations assert.
