Cancer Operations Drop 16% Over Summer, Portuguese Patients Face Longer Waits

Portuguese oncologists went into the autumn sounding an alarm: the National Health Service performed far fewer cancer surgeries during the third quarter than expected. A 16% decline across the summer months of 2025 has stalled a recovery that had lifted activity to record levels earlier in the year. Health minister Ana Paula Martins acknowledges that the system’s operating-theatre capacity and persistent diagnostic bottlenecks left thousands in limbo, raising concern about patient survival odds.

Surgeon's calendar goes quiet

Hospital administrators from Porto to Faro describe an unexpectedly calm July-to-September period. The official dashboard, compiled in the latest RADIS review, counts 11 959 procedures—almost 2 000 fewer than in the previous quarter and the sharpest fall since the pandemic era. At the start of 2025, theatres were running flat-out, touching 20 449 interventions between January and March, a figure hailed at the time as proof that the surgery backlog was finally receding. Instead, August saw empty slots as staff took statutory leave, anaesthetists joined scattered strikes, and several facilities closed rooms for late-summer maintenance. By September, 7 500 people were waiting for an operation judged urgent; regulators calculate that the list is 4.7% longer than a year ago and that 19.5% of those treated had already overrun their legal deadline. Though the headline drop may partly reflect normal seasonality, senior surgeons at Lisbon’s IPO insist the contraction «exceeds any usual holiday dip».

Why the operating rooms emptied

Specialists point to a cocktail of factors rather than one culprit. Staffing turbulence tops the list: the exodus of junior doctors toward Spain and the private sector accelerated during the summer, leaving shifts uncovered. Simultaneously, the government’s 10% spending freeze on equipment purchases delayed delivery of essential consumables, from sutures to oncology-specific staplers, according to procurement managers. The health ministry concedes that consultation slots—particularly first appointments—remain a choke point; almost 62% of new oncology referrals in early 2024 missed the legally protected deadline, a proportion that worsened to 79.6% for the most urgent cases. Because surgery dates cannot be set until diagnosis is complete, delays cascade. Hospitals also report a «traffic-jam effect» created by patient preference: many insist on remaining within the three national cancer institutes, even when peripheral units can offer quicker access. Finally, the director of Porto’s São João surgical block cites the post-COVID reorganisation of theatres; he argues that rapid conversion for intensive-care overflow left some complexes ill-equipped to handle high-volume cancer work.

What this means for patients

For individuals with aggressive tumours, time is biology. The Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro has warned that every month of surgical delay diminishes curative odds and worsens quality of life. Some colorectal and breast cancer cases, which form the bulk of the waiting list, risk progressing from operable to palliative status if schedules slip. Data submitted to the health regulator show that by late June, 1 480 people had already passed the maximum allowed wait, and 180 had no operation date at all. Oncologists stress that Portugal still meets European survival averages for many malignancies, yet fear the current slowdown could reverse those gains. They also highlight the link between high-volume centres and better outcomes: when activity drops, training opportunities shrink and complication rates tend to rise.

The recovery blueprint

Responding to parliamentary pressure, the government is rolling out multiple fixes. A Regime Excepcional de Incentivos has been renewed, giving surgical teams extra pay for additional evening lists, a mechanism credited with achieving a 6.9% rise in total oncology operations in the first half of the year. A second tool, the pilot SINACC platform, tests in Coimbra and Alto Ave a digital system that offers patients three guaranteed dates—public or private—and expects a reply within 48 hours, an attempt to cut passive time on the list. Should those slots be refused, the name is automatically removed, forcing shared accountability between service and user. Meanwhile, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has publicly urged «global management» of theatre schedules, suggesting that unused slots in orthopaedics or general surgery be reallocated daily to oncology when cancellations occur. Critics, however, question whether structural gaps—most notably workforce attrition—can be patched with organisatorial tweaks alone.

Outlook heading into winter

October numbers, still preliminary, hint at a rebound, yet insiders say it will take sustained throughput until at least Easter to erase the third-quarter dip. The health minister places faith in the expanding network of Unidades Locais de Saúde, arguing that integrated budgeting will help hospitals hire and retain theatre staff. For patients currently weighing private insurance or travel abroad, the official line remains: trust the system. The coming quarters will reveal whether bold promises translate into the one metric that matters—surgery performed on time.