Oral cancer in Brazil: a secular history of Public Health Policies

The oral cancer in Brazil is considered an important public health issue. Despite almost a century of combat disease, with oncological assistance programs and prevention campaigns based public policies, the incidence of oral cancer in several regions is still high. The major goal of cancer prevention and control is a reduction in both the incidence of the disease and the associated morbidity and mortality, as well as improved life for cancer patients and their families. Low-income and disadvantage groups are generally more exposed to avoidable risk factors such as tobacco and alcohol consumption. These groups have less access to the health services and education that would empower them to make decisions to protect and improve their own health. Thus, cancer control programs are the most effective instrument to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice and achieve this goal. The authors report some key historical facts concerning the fight against oral cancer in Brazil, in addition to addressing the epidemiological aspects of disease.

巴西口腔癌被视为一项重要的公共卫生议题。尽管历经近百年的疾病防控工作，涵盖肿瘤学援助项目与基于公共政策的预防宣传活动，但巴西多个地区的口腔癌发病率仍居高不下。癌症防控的核心目标，在于降低该疾病的发病率以及与之相关的患病与死亡水平，同时改善癌症患者及其家属的生活质量。低收入及弱势人群通常更容易接触到烟草、酒精摄入等可规避的危险因素。这类群体获取医疗服务与健康科普的渠道更为有限，而这些资源本可赋能他们做出保护并改善自身健康的决策。因此，癌症防控项目是弥合认知与实践差距、达成上述目标的最有效手段。本文作者除了阐述该疾病的流行病学特征外，还梳理了巴西抗击口腔癌历程中的若干关键史实。