On Friday, June 27, 2025, Brazil’s Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, announced in São Paulo two major advancements in cancer diagnosis and treatment within the Unified Health System (SUS): the creation of the Super Center for Cancer Diagnosis, which aims to reduce the turnaround time for diagnostic reports, and the SUS Radiotherapy Expansion Plan, which is expected to increase access to radiotherapy.
Super Center for Cancer Diagnosis will involve INCA and A.C. Camargo Cancer Center
The Super Center for Cancer Diagnosis will have the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), an agency of the Ministry of Health, as the provider of technical support. The A.C. Camargo Cancer Center will contribute its expertise in digital pathology, a technology that will enable faster and more accurate diagnoses. Through telepathology, teleconsultation, and digital reports, the center will be able to deliver around 1,000 diagnostic reports per day, potentially reducing waiting times significantly. The goal is to cut the average turnaround time from the current 25 days to just 5 — a fivefold improvement.
Telepathology allows histological slides to be digitized, stored, analyzed, and shared with professionals anywhere in Brazil. Faster results will enable earlier treatment initiation, increasing the chances of successful outcomes.
A.C. Camargo will provide eight histological slide scanners to SUS pathology laboratories and will also train professionals from 20 pathology labs across different regions of the country.
Operations are set to begin in July, with the goal of processing up to 400,000 exams per year.
SUS Radiotherapy Expansion Plan includes ICESP
In addition to the Super Center announcement, the Minister also announced a transfer of R$ 8.2 million to the São Paulo State Cancer Institute (ICESP) for the acquisition of a linear accelerator — a high-tech device essential for radiotherapy and cancer treatment.
This initiative is part of the SUS Radiotherapy Expansion Plan (Persus II), which aims to deliver 121 new accelerators by 2026, 9 of which have already been installed.
Based on information from the Brazilian Ministry of Health: Ministro da Saúde lança Super Centro para Diagnóstico de Câncer com laudos cinco vezes mais rápidos no SUS — Ministério da Saúde (Health Minister launches Super Center for Cancer Diagnosis with reports five times faster in the Brazilian Public Health System, SUS)
