Portugal still does not have organized screening for stomach cancer
Organized cancer monitors are not yet a reality in Portugal, which is an entry point for diagnosis in the early stages of the disease and for increased mortality. Portugal is the European country with the highest incidence of stomach cancer and the highest mortality rate, causing about 2300 deaths per year.
Carla Freitas, who is responsible for the gastric system at the Tâmega e Sousa hospital, considers that the organized screenings for stomach cancer, a Department of tumors of the apparatus, are “a digestive path that has to be followed in Portugal”. Stomach cancer is one of the most frequent in Portugal and one of the most worldwide.
This Friday marks the World Digestive Cancer Day and, therefore, Carla Freitas for the detection of the tumor is not as early as possible so that it is possible to minimize the risk of death. Cancer is often detected in advanced stages, due to the difficulty in identifying symptoms, which, as a rule, do not appear in early stages. Although vague, symptoms can be vomiting, diarrhea, feeling unwell, abdominal pain, heartburn and loss of appetite.
Carla Freitas was also a pioneer in performing a minimally invasive surgery for stomach cancer in Portugal, an intervention that was already known and performed in other pathologies but which began to be used to treat this tumor in 2006 in the country. This type of surgery is similar to the classic technique, the only difference in this procedure is through a laparoscopy, that is, small incisions.
The doctor says that this intervention results in post-operative advantages that the traditional procedure does not: the patient has fewer respiratory problems, less pain, his intestines work normally again quickly, he is able to get out of bed and walk on his own sooner. That is, the patient recovers much faster and is hospitalized for less time, which also reduces the risk of infections. In the long run, it is proven that the advantages are exactly the same. Carla Freitas considers that “any hospital center that has technical means and trained human resources should opt for this approach”.
This type of cancer is still essentially caused by the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, salt, smoking, overweight and may have genetic genetics. This tumor is more likely in the northern region of the country due to the socioeconomic conditions of the population and the higher consumption of smokers.