Experts advocate greater sharing of knowledge in cancer detection

2023-07-31 13:25:04

News from Angola – Angolan and Portuguese specialists defended greater sharing of knowledge on early detection of cancer, confirmation of diagnosis, treatment and improvement of patients’ lives.

During the Oncology conference, entitled “The State of the Art of Cancer Treatment in Angola”, which took place last Thursday in Luanda, the director of the Angolan Cancer Control Institute (IACC), Fernando Miguel, said that the state of the art in cancer treatment in Angola has advanced 85% of the approximately 1500 patients who attend the IACC, arrive at an advanced stage of the disease.

By: Amilton Victor

Fernando Miguel stated that the IACC outlined the Angolan government’s strategy to disseminate oncology services throughout the country.

For this purpose, the official explained that there is only one institution, the IACC in Luanda, which comprehensively addresses oncological pathology, and which has the three pillars of oncological treatment, systemic treatment which includes chemotherapy, local treatment and surgery and radiotherapy.

Still in the field of training, Nilton Rosa, Head of the IACC’s Teaching and Research Department, said that the institution currently has 33 professionals undergoing training, of which 24 are abroad and 9 in Angola.

According to the official, “the IACC has the Oncology Continuing Education Program (PECO), which promotes subspecializations in clinical oncology, oncological surgery, pediatric oncology and radiotherapy in partner institutions in Brazil and in Portugal.

In his turn, the President of the Oncology College of the Angolan Medical Association, Paulo Salamanca, in his speech, warned of the existence of a taboo on cancer.

In his view, when detected, it becomes a family secret, these factors hide the oncological family history and make society think that cancer does not exist among us, he explained.

Meanwhile, Guilherme Vilhais, Specialist in Medical Oncology at CUF hospitals, called for greater collaboration between Portugal and Angola, taking advantage of new technologies.

The Angolan Cancer Control Institute (IACC) detects, each year, 1500 new cases of malignant tumors, mainly breast, cervix, lymphomas and Kaposi’s sarcoma. Faced with these data, oncologists warned that “the numbers are high, but they are far from reality.