In an interview with the Lusa news agency, Mário Dinis Ribeiro, who will participate on Wednesday in the panel “New Population-Based Screenings” with notes on gastric cancer screening, at an event organised by the Directorate-General of Health (DGS), stated that “there is sufficient evidence, at least in Northern Portugal, to suggest gastric cancer screening by endoscopy at the time a person undergoes colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening.”

This conviction stems from a European-wide pilot project that Mário Dinis Ribeiro is conducting in Portugal at the Portuguese Oncology Institute (IPO) in Porto, as well as from cost-benefit studies and doctoral theses in this area.

“My last slide is precisely to say that there is evidence that citizens, when asked if they want to participate, do participate. There is evidence that if a lesion is identified in its early stages, it can be treated, which is a condition for screening. And there are pilot projects that demonstrate that it is feasible,” he told Lusa.

The specialist, therefore, argued that the recommendation to introduce endoscopy within the scope of screening should be “immediately associated”.

In addition to Portugal, institutions and experts from Lithuania, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Latvia, and Spain are participating in this pilot project.

In total, 1,600 people, 209 of whom are from Northern Portugal, responded to the experts’ challenge.

Started in 2024, the project should have systematised results within six months.

“But one thing is already certain: the response to the question ‘what if we took advantage of the opportunity to perform endoscopy when coming for colonoscopy?’ is positive. Therefore, in practice, the answer to ‘what if we took advantage of colon cancer screening to screen for stomach cancer?’ is positive,” described the vice-director of the Research Centre of the IPO Porto and full professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto.

Considering that this saves human resources, as well as time for those being screened, Mário Dinis Ribeiro, who is co-coordinator of the most recent European and World Health Organization initiative regarding gastric cancer, admits that more technological resources will be needed, but assures, “It has been proven that it would make sense.”

“Even without any political decision, the community is already doing it [adopting both exams]. Besides identifying potential stomach lesions, we identify individuals who are at risk or may be at higher risk of developing cancer in the future. Performing endoscopy allows us to identify individuals who will need monitoring and prevention,” he argued.

According to data from a study published last year in the European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, in which Mário Dinis Ribeiro also participated, Portugal has an intermediate incidence of gastric cancer compared with other countries, at 11 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

However, based on crude incidence (not adjusted for age), the country has a much higher rate (26/100,000), which would classify Portugal as having a high incidence.

“In Portugal, in this area, it is urgent to make decisions. My personal opinion is that we have enough data to start suggesting gastric cancer screening by endoscopy at the time a person undergoes a colonoscopy,” he concluded.

Starting at 9:00 am, the event commemorating World Cancer Day, organised by the DGS (Directorate-General of Health) through the National Program for Oncological Diseases (PNDO), will bring together specialists, health professionals, and representatives of national institutions in Lisbon under the theme “Oncology Network: A National Strategy”.

According to the summary published on the DGS website, the initiative aims to promote dialogue on the epidemiological situation of cancer in Portugal, new population-based screening programs, and the challenges of pediatric oncology, highlighting the role of the National Health Service (SNS) in providing clinical care to cancer patients.