The Portuguese League Against Cancer (LPCC) expressed, this Monday, concern about the worsening of oncology waiting lists and called on the Ministry of Health to adopt urgent measures to guarantee timely consultations and surgeries.
According to data released by at the end of the second half of 2025, 8,874 users were waiting for their first appointment oncological and 8,215 were awaiting surgerycom increases of 3% and 9%respectively, in relation to the same period in 2024.
Commenting on these numbers to the Lusa agency, the president of the LPCC, Vítor Veloso, stated that “they are negative data“which the institution looks upon” with admiration, but a negative admiration and with a very big concern“.
“These data demonstrate that, in relation to cancer patients, the situation is not brilliant”, he said, highlighting the 9% increase in waiting for cancer surgery.
For the oncologist, even more worrying is the fact that 21.2% of waiting patients have already exceeded the maximum guaranteed response timeas well as increased waiting times for the first specialist consultation.
“All these data are negative and the League requests the Ministry of Health to look into them and launch an initiative that considers and ensures that this situation is recovered”, he defended.
“Patients are being highly harmed and therefore we strongly ask the Ministry of Health to take the appropriate measures”, reinforced the oncologist.
Asked about the measures that must be taken to reverse these indicators, the president of the League stated that “The entire National Health Service needs major restructuring“, including in the area of oncology.
For Vítor Veloso, the patients are being “doubly harmed”either due to delays in the first specialist consultations, “which are decisive” for diagnosis and treatment, or due to delays in surgeries.
When asked whether this reality is already reflected in the institution’s day-to-day activities, Vítor Veloso replied “obviously yes”, saying that Many patients turn to the League because they have not yet had surgery.
“There are many patients who come to us to take action, but the League is unable to take action. This is at the central level, at the level of the Ministry of Health, which has to be taken”, he said.
As reasons for the worsening of the situation, Vítor Veloso pointed to the lack of healthcare professionals “and, probably, the structure is not properly assembled.”
“This worsening is not a minimal worsening. It is already a highly worrying worsening”, concluded Vítor Veloso.
