Algarve is one of four regions in Portugal where most people die of lung and bronchial cancer, according to a study by a team at the University of Coimbra.
The study is aimed at analysing the geographical variation of deaths related to different types of cancer as well as the influence of social and environmental factors.
The team found significant links between the socio-economic levels of the regions and their death rate. It was also discovered that there is a direct connection between development factors and almost every type of cancer, except lung cancer, which shows to be mostly influenced by educational and cultural levels.
Two coordinators of the study, Manuela Alvarez and Helena Nogueira, stressed that knowing the pathological variation throughout the country is useful in the creation of risk areas for each kind of cancer and relevant to primary health care, facilitating the development of prevention actions and the assignment of adequate resources in order to improve the quality of medical services.
Greater Lisbon, Greater Porto and Lower Alentejo were the other regions with the highest lung cancer death rate, while the northern area of Portugal showed a larger propensity for stomach cancer.
