The Regional Secretary for Health revealed in Ponta Delgada the beginning of the definition phase for the methodology and scientific structure to be applied in a study on the causes of cancer in the Azores.
"The Advisory Council on Combating Oncological Diseases is in the process of taking decisions and has already defined a scientific coordinator, Professor Vítor Rodrigues," stated Rui Luís. He spoke on the sidelines of the meeting of this Advisory Board, adding that the universities of the Azores and Coimbra will be called to "conduct this study throughout 2018."
 
The study aims to further understand the causes of cancer in the Azores in order to detect any particular characteristics, thus contributing to more efficient preventive programmes.
 
"We can move forward, or not, to other ways of identifying the problem; it is something that is still being studied. What we do know is that, eventually, we may proceed to the analysis of genetic issues that could be fundamental in the Azores," said the Regional Secretary.
 
Rui Luís stressed that the update of the Regional Cancer Registry at the end of last year was crucial to move forward with the study.
 
The data were only known until 2011 and those up to 2014 were presented recently.
 
"The Oncology Centre took the commitment to survey data for the years 2015 and 2016 by the end of the year in order to complete 20 years of a statistical series. The first part of the study will be conducted based on the Regional Cancer Registry," stated the Secretary for Health.
 
The Advisory Council on Combating Oncological Diseases, which meets every three months, also proposed the signing of common approach protocols among the three regional hospitals regarding the diagnosis of the diseases, their treatment and their follow-up.
 
"Currently, we are able to create methodologies in the approach to oncological diseases with the three hospitals. We believe that it will be advantage for us," stated Rui Luís.