Introduction: Neoplasia is considered the second disease with the highest morbidity and mortality. Hospital-level care is often unavoidable. The objective of Home Hospitalization (HH) is to minimize hospital complications and provide greater satisfaction to the patient and family/caregiver. Material and Methods: This article reports one year of HH experience at the Unidade Local de Saúde of Castelo Branco with regard to patients with oncological pathology. Results/Discussion: In the first year of HH, 99 patients were admitted, 22.2% (n = 22) of whom had oncological pathology. Sixty four percent were male and the average age was 65.9 years old (±12.8). The average hospital stay was 6.8 days (±3.4). Seventy seven percent had active cancer disease. The main existing neoplasias were: 31.8% lung, 22.7% hematological, 18.1% prostate and 13.6% breast. Of these, 58.8% were under chemotherapy and 17.6% had undergone recent surgery or radiation therapy. The main comorbidities found in these patients were: hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and chronic pain. The main reasons for hospitalization were: febrile neutropenia (36.3%), respiratory infection (27.2%) and pain control (13.6%). One patient died, one was transferred to hospital and three readmissions. Ninety days after discharge, 63.6% did not return to the hospital. Conclusion: Hospitalization in patients with neoplasia is very common. These are at increased risk of suffering from in-hospital infections, which increases mortality. The HH is advantageous because it reduces complications and provides a better quality of life for patients, given that they are undergoing qualified treatment in their own home.

The project NEWAYS − Cancer Network for Welfare Aging aimed to raise national awareness for Geriatric Oncology issue in Portugal. To do so, it set to define strategic courses of action in four preponderant areas in the care of elderly with cancer, in order to foster its optimization and promote the development of Geriatric Oncology policies in Portugal: clinic, economics and health policy, epidemiologic and social investigation and other areas (health literacy, patient-oriented information technologies, ethics, patient advocacy and awareness). After a wide consensus amongst the group of experts who composed the network that leveraged this project, the proposed courses of action are now presented.

In the current pandemic times for SARS-CoV-2, several challenges are posed to the scientific community. With regard to the implementation of treatments for the elderly with cancer, despite the high complexity in its approach, a variable (SARS-CoV-2) now appears that represents a high impact on multidisciplinary decision-making processes when deciding which therapeutic strategies to use. In accordance with various international declarations, this article aims to sensitize the national medical community to the problems of the elderly with cancer regarding its approach in pandemic times of the COVID-19.

We are witnessing a new technological era in oncology related to: the management of  signs and symptoms, the surveillance of complications associated with treatments, the process of follow-up by monitoring the adherence to therapy, and even the way we communicate or interact with patients, healthcare professionals and hospital institutions. Mobile technology (mHealth) is being increasingly used as an efficient strategy to improve adherence to therapy, and it can also be a viable  resource for health education, guiding interventions, allowing professionals to monitoring toxicities or behaviors and providing self-care guidelines for the user, namely cancer patients, undergoing chemotherapy. The advances of mHealth technology enable a new era in oncology care. However, it is important to reflect on its implications for clinical practice and research. And to recognize the  limitations that these technologies may have, namely in terms of their design.   There is still a long way to go to make these resources valid, safe and accessible to users. It is necessary that the applications evolve beyond the academic scenario (in which most of them are develop) and increase their use in clinical practice, thus allowing a true assessment of the impact of this “new” intervention modality in oncology.

Malnutrition is a common phenomenon in people with cancer. It can occur at all stages of the disease trajectory and its occurrence can have a significant negative impact on cancer treatment outcomes. With this project: “Via Verde dos Cuidados Nutricionais” (Green Line for Nutritional Care) we intend to assess the nutritional risk of all patients who were admitted to a surgical oncology inpatient service by applying the MUST screening tool (Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool). Depending on the scores obtained, patients are classified into low, medium or high risk of malnutrition. A descriptive longitudinal study was carried out in a public oncology hospital, tracking all patients on admission to the surgical oncology hospital. A total of 160 patients were admitted, 20 were identified as being at medium risk and 16 patients at high risk, most of them had digestive pathology. The hospitalization had an average duration of 6.9 days, and an average weight loss but the end of 7 days of 1.76kg (t=5.084, p<0.001). This project emphasizes the need for a structured and coordinated protocol for an early and effective nutritional intervention in cancer patients at medium and high risk of malnutrition. It also alerts to the need for intervention and proactive nutritional surveillance in patients who are not at risk, as this is not synonymous with the absence of potential future risk, particularly in patients with digestive pathology.

Introduction: Identifying the perception or experiences associated with the use of mobile applications (mHealth) during chemotherapy treatment is essential to ensure patient involvement. This indentification is also fundamental in the development process of this type of solutions.  Therefor the present study intended to synthesize the knowledge produced about the perceptions or experiences of people with oncological disease resulting from the use of mobile applications, used during chemotherapy treatment. Inclusion Criteria: The review will consider all primary studies with a qualitative methodological approach, published in English, French, Spanish or Portuguese, until December 31, 2022. Methods: The review will be conducted according to the JBI methodology for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence. Electronic databases MEDLINE®, CINAHL®, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, Scopus® and Cochrane Library will be used to identify primary studies. Data extraction will be performed using a tool developed by the researchers, based on the JBI model (JBI QARI Data Extraction Tool for Qualitative Research). Extracted data will, where possible, be grouped using a meta-aggregation approach. The summary of the findings will be presented using ConQual in order to assess the confidence in the findings. Systematic review registration umber: PROSPERO (CRD42020213811)

Background: Patients referred for palliative care (PC) need the application of assessment instruments, such as the level of functionality. Objective: Identify the inpatient's sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and characterize their functional capacity. Methodology: A descriptive, longitudinal study of adult cancer patients in a CP unit (n=53) from March to June of 2022. The instruments FIM®, ECOG® and PPS® were applied at admission, on the 14th day of hospitalization and at discharge. Results: The 53 patients evaluated have an average age of 71 years, most of whom are male (64.2%) and have gastric carcinomas (17.0%). On admission, the patients who have reduced FIM values also have reduced PPS and ECOG values. From admission to the 14th day, there is a worsening of functionality. No patient received intervention from the Rehabilitation Nurse. Conclusion: The results demonstrate a decrease in functionality, requiring professionals to continuously monitor and readjust the advanced care plan.  

Introduction: the structured and systematic assessment of malnutrition in cancer patients will make it possible to provide personalized nutritional support. Objective: to assess the nutritional risk of patients admitted to the Oncohematology service of an Oncology Portuguese Institute. Methodology: a descriptive quantitative study was conducted, with assessment at admission and on the 7th day of hospitalization, in a sample of 72 patients and 145 episodes of hospitalization, between April andJune 2021, using the MUST scale. Results: the majority of the sample was male (54.2%). Regarding the predominance of oncohematological pathology: Lymphoma (65%), Leukemia (25.3%) and Multiple Myeloma (6.9%). On admission, regardlessof the hematological diagnosis, the mean nutritional risk was 1,94 and on the 7thday of hospitalization was 2,09, both values representing high nutritional risk,with readmission increasing the prevalence of higher nutritional risk. Conclusion:malnutrition is a risk for oncohematological patients, when detected early, through systematic evaluation, adequate transdisciplinary care plans can be implemented. keywords: Nursing, Nutrition Status, Nutrition Assessment, Malnutrition, Hematology, Neoplasms.

Several gene deviations can be responsible for triggering oncogenic processes. However, mutations in tumour suppressor genes are usually more associated to malignant diseases, with p53 being one of the most affected and studied element. p53 is implicated in a number of known cellular functions, including DNA damage repair, cell cycle arrest in G1/S and G2/M and apoptosis, being an interesting target for cancer treatment.