The Regional Secretary for Health stated today in Ponta Delgada that the publication of the "Cancer Registry in the Azores - 20 years" evidences the importance that the Government of the Azores attaches to the study, prevention and fight against cancer in the archipelago.
 
"We committed to publish the cancer registry and update the last five years were missing and we now have the most updated cancer registry nationwide," said Rui Luís.
 
The Secretary for Health spoke at the presentation of this edition published by the Azores Oncology Centre, which provides information about the incidence of cancer in the Region between 1997 and 2016. It is part of the research work conducted by the Regional Secretariat for Health entitled "Study on Cancer in the Azores."
 
"This publication is a working tool for planning as well as for scientific research, serving as a basis for the study on the causes of cancer we are conducting with the support of the Universities of the Azores and Coimbra, which is will be concluded this year," stressed the government official.
 
For the Regional Secretary, this is an accurate cancer registry that will contribute to the improvement and evaluation of the measures in progress and to the definition of new policies to fight against cancer.
 
"The results confirm what public policies are in terms of primary prevention," the government official stressed, adding that this editions "confirms the key risk factors associated with food, alcohol, tobacco and physical exercise."
 
"It is yet another initiative consistent with the Regional Health Plan, particularly with the programmes underway in the Regional Health Service," noted the government official. In this regard, he recalled the work carried out in secondary prevention with the population-based cancer screening programmes as well as in tertiary prevention, with the improvement of primary and hospital care as well as of therapy and support conditions.
 
The current publication presents data on the incidence of cancer by sex, island and topographic location, that is, the place of origin of the primary tumour.
 
Between 1997 and 2016, 19,230 new cases of cancer were registered in the Azores, of which 11,367 were diagnosed in men (59%) and 7,863 were diagnosed in women (41%), representing an average of 962 new cases per year.
 
Prostate and lung cancers are the most common cancers found in men, while breast, colon and colon cancers are the most common found in woman.
 
The survey of data for the registry throughout 20 years was conducted by the Azores Oncology Centre with the collaboration of the three regional hospitals and some private entities, namely laboratories.
 
Rui Luis emphasised this cooperation, adding that "it is essential that all those involved in this process remain technically able and available to continue ensuring, with the utmost rigour, the cancer registry."