Cancer survival in Portugal has risen to 66% at five years for patients diagnosed in 2019, according to a report released today by the National Cancer Registry (RON). The study examined 54,147 cases of malignant tumours and found a clear gap between women, whose five-year survival rate was 72%, and men, whose rate was 62%. Maria José Bento, coordinator of the RON and an epidemiologist at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology (IPO) in Porto, said the difference is linked in part to the cancers most often diagnosed in each sex and to lifestyle factors. She noted that men are more likely to develop lung, laryngeal and oral cavity cancers, while women are often diagnosed earlier because they seek medical advice sooner. The report also found that Northern and central Portugal had the best survival rates, while the Autonomous Region of Madeira had the lowest. Some cancers still have very poor outcomes, with fewer than 20% of patients surviving five years after diagnoses such as brain and central nervous system cancers, oesophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, mesothelioma and primary cancers of unknown origin. The RON said survival remains strongly affected by age, with the lowest rate recorded among people over 75 at 56.8%, and stressed that earlier diagnosis, faster treatment and wider participation in screening programmes are key to improving results.
