Description of the Health care Network for Cancer Control in Children and Adolescents in the City of Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer in children and adolescents is the leading cause of deaths by disease in the 0-19 age group. Delayed identification of signs and symptoms and late referral of diagnostic suspicions may adversely affect the prognosis and be responsible for more aggressive treatment. Objective: This study aimed to know the structure, functioning and access flows of the health care network (HCN) for the control of cancer in children and adolescents in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Method: Descriptive study that used public documents, online bulletins and information systems to describe and show the logical structuring of information about this HCN. Results: The results show an installed capacity that includes the regulations, the existence of flows ordered by the Primary Health Care, the regulation of care with partial offer of outpatient and hospital availability of diagnosis and treatment of childhood and juvenile cancer. Conclusion: This research points out the fragmentation of the access systems within the HCN, the necessity to update the cancer-related information systems and indicates that studies of analysis and prospection of the future scenarios can improve the current functioning, besides helping to build the outflows of licensed hospitals.