Dados do Resumo

Título

Access to immunotherapy and targeted therapy in the treatment of cancer in Brazil.

Introdução

According to the Instituto Nacional do Câncer (INCA), the estimate for the three-year period from 2023 to 2025 is that there will be 704 thousand new cases of cancer in Brazil. So, it is necessary to search for new therapies, like targeted therapy and immunotherapy, which are more effective, less invasive and have fewer side effects. However, the access of information about these drugs are still difficult, and have big costs, making them inaccessible to the general population.

Objetivo

The objective of this work is to discuss the access to immunotherapy and targeted therapy in treatment of cancer in Brazil, for health professionals and the population, in addition to defending the right of access for these new therapies for the common good.

Métodos

A bibliographic review was conducted for this study by reading scientific articles using Google Scholar and PubMed, and by reading articles published on websites such as FEMAMA, Oncoguia, Américas Amigas, Abrale, Inca, using the following keywords for the research: immunotherapy, targeted chemotherapy, treatment, cancer, symptoms, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, data. In addition a survey was conducted with 77 people using a questionnaire formulated on Google Forms, in which no personal data was collected other than whether it was from the health area, and which was made available on social media and other media to determine the level of knowledge of healthcare professionals and society about immunotherapy and targeted therapy.

Resultados

The survey shows that among students and healthcare professionals few people have access to information about immunotherapy and targeted therapy. This fact indicates that there is not much discussion about these therapies, and, regarding accessibility, it can be inferred that, in the absence of availability of immunotherapy and targeted therapy through the SUS (Sistema Único de Saúde), one can seek the right to coverage of these therapies through the health plan, or resort to the judicialization of health, so that the government can provide the necessary assistance. However, only 26% of the Brazilian population has health insurance, and that in the case of justice the average time to resolve the case is 322 days, a period in which the patient's condition is highly likely to evolve negatively, which can lead to an irreversible stage of the disease or even death during this period, in addition to the fact that the cause may or may not be accepted.

Conclusões

Much is invested in new pharmaceutical therapies, and little is said about their accessibility and knowledge to the population, so it is important to discuss access to these new therapies, given the increase in survival and quality of life they provide. Access is also the responsibility of the government, which must seek strategies for implementing these therapies in the public health system, since the law requires it to provide maximum support for the health of its citizens.

Palavras Chave

immunotherapy; targeted therapy; accessibility