The cities of Vale do Paraíba recorded 330 deaths from breast cancer in 2025. The number represents a jump of more than 20% compared to 2024 and is the highest rate of deaths from the disease ever recorded by health authorities in the region in the last 30 years.
The survey was carried out by g1 with data from the Ministry of Health, through the Mortality Information System (SIM). Since the beginning of the historical series, in 1996, the 39 cities in Vale do Paraíba and the North Coast have accumulated 5,440 deaths from breast cancer, according to the survey.
The balance of the last 30 years shows that São José dos Campos has the largest number of records in the period, with 1,510 deaths, followed by Taubaté, with 856, and Jacareí, with 515.
The survey also shows a growth trend in recent years. In 2020, the region recorded 240 deaths from breast cancer. The number was practically stable in 2021, with 237 deaths, but rose to 288 in 2022.
After a reduction to 266 in 2023, registrations increased again in 2024, when they reached 274 in the Valley. In 2025, there was a record 330 deaths. The partial balance for 2026 points to 185 deaths from the disease so far.
The increase in deaths contrasts with the treatment potential of the disease: although it is the type of cancer that kills the most women worldwide, the chances of a cure can reach around 95% when there is early detection, according to the Ministry of Health.
In practice, however, more than 50% of diagnoses in the country still occur at levels 3 or 4 of the disease, stages considered advanced, points out the Panorama of Breast Cancer Care, published at the beginning of this month by the Oncology Observatory. The survey also revealed that, for the second year in a row, Brazil had a drop in the number of mammograms performed.
The data worries experts and raises a warning signal for the future: the National Cancer Institute (INCA), an auxiliary body of the Ministry of Health, estimates that between 2026 and 2028 more than 78 thousand new cases of breast cancer should be registered in Brazil.
Early diagnosis
Oncology surgeon at the Hospital Regional de Taubaté, doctor Flávio Salgado explains that waiting for visible or palpable signs in the body reduces the margins of treatment success.
"The ideal is to discover the disease in a very small size, less than a centimeter, in a woman without any symptoms. If the patient has already noticed the nodule, if liquid has leaked from the nipple or if the skin has bulged, this already indicates an intermediate-grade tumor. There is treatment, but this delay takes a toll later, with larger surgeries and longer processes", said the specialist.
According to the doctor, another frequent mistake in doctors' offices is failing to take preventive exams because they do not have relatives who have had the disease.
"Of every 100 women we treat, around 15 have an important family history and may have a genetic relationship, but 85% do not. Many say they will not have a mammogram because no one in the family has had it, but there is always the first case", warned Salgado.
To reverse the scenario of late diagnoses and drop in mammograms in the region, g1 highlights the essential care that every woman should adopt, check out:
Mammograms from the age of 40: Women over the age of 40, even without symptoms or family history, have the right guaranteed by the Ministry of Health to request a mammography exam annually in basic health units. Anyone who has cases of cancer in their family should seek medical advice to start screening early.
Pay attention to clinical signs: In addition to knots or lumps (with or without pain), see a doctor immediately if you notice protrusions or retraction in the skin of the breast, a change in the shape of one breast in relation to the other, fluid leaking from the nipple, inversion of the nipple (as if something was pulling it in) or lumps (swollen glands) in the armpit.
Insist on your right: If you feel any change in your touch or encounter resistance to requesting a preventive exam, seek a second medical opinion.
House Gesture
For those who are already facing the disease, an option for support is Casa Gesto, a non-profit social entity that provides psychological and social assistance to adult patients diagnosed with cancer.
Founded in August 1997 by Dr. Flávio Salgado with support from the community and local businesses, Casa Gesto is one block from the Taubaté Regional Hospital and offers free support to patients in the Unified Health System (SUS).
The place serves an average of 25 to 40 people per day, from Monday to Friday, receiving residents from municipalities such as Cruzeiro, Lorena, Guaratinguetá, Areias, São José do Barreiro and Lagoinha.
