It was in Elsevier’s journal Cancer Epidemiology that the Madeira Oncological Registry (RO-RAM), part of the Health Service of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (SESARAM), published its first scientific work in an international peer-reviewed journal.
According to a press release, the study presents a pioneering methodological approach in Europe, which has so far been developed only in the United States, and analyses the etiological profile of liver cancer in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
“Liver cancer is one of the most lethal tumours in Portugal, with 1,740 new cases and 1,611 deaths registered in 2022. Unlike many other types of cancer, this disease usually arises in previously compromised tissues, and is mostly associated with four main causes: hepatitis B, hepatitis C, non-alcoholic fatty liver, and excessive alcohol consumption,” the paper states.
The research in question analysed 240 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma, which is the most common type of liver cancer, diagnosed in residents of the Region, between 2010 and 2023, to identify the predominant causes of the disease in the archipelago. “The results reveal that the incidence is about eight times higher in men, compared to women, with excessive alcohol consumption identified as the main cause of the disease. This pattern differs from that observed in other regions of the world.”
Although the origin of the disease influences the risk of developing liver cancer, the study stresses that the prognosis depends mainly on the stage at which the tumour is diagnosed. The research thus reinforces the need for active surveillance of liver diseases, monitoring of metabolic risk factors, and the implementation of public health strategies aimed at reducing excessive alcohol consumption, particularly among the male population and older age groups.
The paper further reiterates that:
“The Regional Government, through SESARAM, values and recognises the importance of this type of study as a critical tool for the definition of public policies in the Region. By transforming statistical data into operational intelligence, the work allows strategic health planning to focus on the specificities of the Madeiran population, supporting the priority allocation of resources for prevention and guiding monitoring and early diagnosis strategies that respond directly and efficiently to the specific needs of the Region.”
The paper was co-authored by: a team from the Cancer Registry of Madeira, namely biochemist Pedro Berenguer and the rest of the team: Cláudia Fraga, Sara MĂĽller, PatrĂcia SerrĂŁo and Carolina Camacho, as well as with the collaboration of doctor Carolina Sales, from the Medical Oncology Service, doctor Laurentina Silva, from the General Surgery Service, doctor Nuno Ladeira, of the Gastroenterology Service, and full professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, in the United States, Paulo Pinheiro.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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