State officials and medical technology providers are responding with expanded screening programs and portable thermal AI devices designed to reach women directly in communities across the country, while broader continental data from the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa highlights that over 70% of cases in the region are detected at a late stage.
Speaking at a meeting titled Breast Cancer: The Future of Early Detection—organized by Soluções Médicas Inteligentes (SMI) during the Pink October campaign—Leonardo Inocêncio noted that the institute had already diagnosed 259 new cases during the first half of the current year. Behind each figure, there is a woman, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a professional and, naturally, a family confronted with the uncertainty, he said. On a continental level, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa notes that breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed cancer globally and a leading cause of cancer mortality in the African Region, with approximately 2.3 million women diagnosed worldwide and about 670,000 deaths in 2022.
Expansion of Screening and Public Health Strategies
The Secretary of State for the Hospital Sector emphasized that the climbing figures demonstrate an urgent need to strengthen prevention and early diagnosis efforts. He reminded the public that cancer must not be a death sentence and noted that early detection increases treatment efficacy. Health authorities advise women to watch for warning signs such as lumps, changes in breast size or shape, skin or nipple alterations, and abnormal discharges, urging immediate consultation at a health facility if symptoms appear. In a similar vein, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa launched a manual titled Évaluation et bilan diagnostique des cas suspects de cancer du sein selon une approche de soins de santé primaires to help primary care providers recognize symptoms, conduct initial evaluations, and ensure continuity of care. Dr. Benido Impouma, Director of the Health Promotion, Prevention and Control of Diseases Cluster at the WHO Regional Office for Africa, stated that strengthening primary care capacities to recognize warning signs and provide timely referrals is essential to reduce diagnostic delays, noting that intervals of six months or more between initial symptoms and appropriate care remain frequent in many African settings.
To address these challenges, the executive branch plans to rely on the 2025–2030 Multisectoral Strategic Plan for Non-Communicable Diseases. The initiative includes training 38,000 healthcare professionals with a focus on oncology, surgery, medical imaging, and anatomical pathology, while aiming to make diagnostic technologies accessible regardless of economic status or place of residence.
Portable AI Screening Technology Deployed in Communities
During the meeting, the General Manager of Soluções Médicas Inteligentes (SMI), Augusto Delgado, introduced a portable thermal screening device integrated with artificial intelligence designed to bring testing directly to communities. The compact device captures five thermal images of the breast, which are then transmitted to a cloud database where an AI analyzes them and generates an immediate report.
Augusto Delgado explained that the technology shifts away from traditional in-person clinical visits, making it well-suited for large-scale, single-day screening campaigns targeted at women aged 25 to 50. The technology is already in use across 22 countries in Europe, the United States, and Canada. In Angola, where SMI has operated for over three months, the company has established a strategic partnership with the Angolan League Against Cancer and visited the Pedro Maria Tonha Pedalé Hospital complex and the IACC with the goal of expanding nationwide. Meanwhile, local health authorities in other parts of the region are also taking screening directly to the public, as seen in Viana, Luanda, where the health directorate organized market-based breast cancer screening campaigns.