Delays in pediatric oncology surgeries worry experts: prolonged exposure to chemotherapy worsens the physical and psychological side effects of the disease and treatment.
Waiting times for surgeries for children with cancer are increasing in Portugal, which can lead to serious long-term consequences for children who are thus forced to longer periods of chemotherapy.
Acrediter – Association of Parents and Friends of Children with Cancer – warns of these consequences, which have prolonged the suffering of children and families and increased the risks of long-term complications.
According to Crédito, cited by , there are cases in which children wait up to a year for surgery after diagnosis — a fundamental period of time in a child’s life — which aggravates the physical and psychological side effects of the disease and treatment.
Prolonged exposure to chemotherapy, necessary while these children await surgery, can cause long-term damage, such as chronic anemia, infertility e increased risk of cerebrovascular accidents (CVA)in addition to immediate symptoms such as tiredness, loss of appetite e infections frequent due to reduced immunity.
Delays are associated with shortage of specialized healthcare professionalssuch as doctors and nurses, and lack of resources in hospitals to meet the urgent needs of pediatric patients. Although oncological surgeries are classified as a priority, reality shows that the health system’s ability to respond effectively is compromised.
A possible solution advocated by Crédito would be to creation of specialized centers for the treatment of pediatric cancers, which would bring together the necessary resources and teams to ensure that surgical interventions are carried out in the shortest possible time, reducing the negative impacts of waiting.
In Portugal, around 400 new cases of pediatric cancer per yeara number that no longer seems small considering that 20% of diagnosed children do not survive and 60% of those who overcome the disease face some type of sequelae.
