Since the beginning of oncology, cancer treatment has been based on chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery or a combination of all three. Until 20 years ago, the only exception to this paradigm was the allogeneic transplant of bone marrow cells, which induces a an immune destruction of the malignant cells by the donor cells. In this sense, allogeneic transplant was the first form of immunotherapy and is, even today, the only curative therapy for certain forms of acute leukaemia and aggressive lymphomas.
HPA Magazine 15
Read
The diagnosis and treatment of cancer have evolved incredibly over the last decade. However, it is still a frightening word, especially due to the unknowns such as survival and the quality of life.
Despite the Oncology Registry for the Southern Region (Lisbon and The Tagus Valley, Alentejo, Algarve and Madeira) showing positive results for survival of colon, rectum and breast cancer, the truth is that more than 24 thousand new cases per year are registered. This means three new cases of cancer are...
HPA Magazine 9
ReadBreast cancer is an ancient, but heterogeneous disease, representing a wide range of biological potential. It has been known since first descriptions on Egyptian papyruses in 3000 BC, but it was Hippocrates (460-370 BC) who used the term cancer to describe the appearance of a tumour and its projections, which resemble the shape of a crab. Several centuries later, Galen (130-200 AD) determined that there was no treatment for this disease, that it was incurable, a concept that endured for...
HPA Magazine 09
Read
In a society faced with an ever-increasing number of oncological diseases, quality cancer care and palliative care is essential and must be based on humanistic and altruistic principles.
Briefly, cancer occurs when a cell in the human body loses its normal control mechanisms and presents an uncontrolled growth. The evaluation of this disease always begins with the patient’s medical history and a physical examination. Patients normally ...
HPA Magazine 04
Read
Senology is a specific field of medicine that studies all pathology related to the women’s breast. The primary object is to treat all problems associated with breast cancer. Despite the technological advances, statistics in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer remain bleak. At the HPA Health Group a new approach was initiated recently, offering a better quality of life for women diagnosed with breast cancer...
HPA Magazine 03
Read