Treatment under one roof, without being shuttled across the region
No noroeste paulista, onde pacientes oncológicos de 102 municípios percorriam longas distâncias em busca de cuidados fragmentados, o Ministério da Saúde reconheceu formalmente o complexo Funfarme como Centro de Assistência de Alta Complexidade em Oncologia — o CACON. Essa credencial não é simbólica: ela inscreve numa linguagem institucional o que a estrutura já fazia na prática, reunindo sob um mesmo teto toda a jornada do tratamento do câncer, da consulta inicial aos cuidados paliativos. É o momento em que o sistema público nomeia aquilo que o sofrimento cotidiano já havia ensinado — que a integração do cuidado não é luxo, mas condição de dignidade.
- Por anos, pacientes oncológicos de mais de cem municípios enfrentaram o desgaste de montar seu próprio tratamento entre clínicas e hospitais dispersos pela região.
- O reconhecimento federal como CACON transforma esse labirinto em um único percurso: consultas, cirurgias, quimioterapia, radioterapia e cuidados paliativos no mesmo complexo hospitalar.
- Com mais de 100 mil procedimentos anuais e equipamentos como três aceleradores lineares de última geração, o Funfarme já operava em nível de alta complexidade — agora o Estado confirma oficialmente essa realidade.
- Um programa de navegação oncológica, ativo há três anos, já acompanhou mais de 600 pacientes, removendo barreiras sociais, psicológicas e logísticas que atrasavam diagnósticos e tratamentos.
- A designação não garante novos recursos imediatos, mas posiciona o complexo como referência estratégica para futuros investimentos federais e expansão de serviços especializados em todo o estado de São Paulo.
No noroeste de São Paulo, o Ministério da Saúde reconheceu oficialmente o complexo Funfarme — formado pelo Hospital de Base de Rio Preto e pelo Hospital da Criança e Maternidade — como Centro de Assistência de Alta Complexidade em Oncologia, o CACON. A credencial significa que um paciente pode agora receber consultas, exames de imagem, cirurgia, quimioterapia, radioterapia, cuidados paliativos e acompanhamento de longo prazo em um único lugar, sem ser deslocado entre diferentes serviços ao longo do tratamento.
Os números revelam a escala do que já acontecia: mais de 100 mil procedimentos oncológicos por ano, incluindo 18.600 sessões de quimioterapia, 18.000 tratamentos de radioterapia, 2.400 cirurgias e 66.000 consultas. O diretor executivo Horácio José Ramalho descreveu o reconhecimento como uma validação institucional de décadas de trabalho. A infraestrutura tecnológica é compatível com essa ambição: três aceleradores lineares de alta precisão, equipamentos de braquiterapia e um tomógrafo 4D para simulação com avaliação do ciclo respiratório — uma configuração que, segundo o coordenador de radioterapia Dr. Renato Affonso Júnior, está entre as mais avançadas do país.
Mas o diferencial do complexo não é apenas técnico. Um programa de navegação oncológica, criado há três anos, já acompanhou mais de 600 pacientes, identificando e removendo obstáculos sociais, psicológicos e logísticos que atrasam o diagnóstico e o tratamento. A enfermeira Márcia Lanza, coordenadora da linha de assistência oncológica, descreve os navegadores como profissionais que caminham ao lado dos pacientes, articulando suporte familiar, serviços sociais e equipes de saúde. O complexo mantém ainda um serviço de cuidados paliativos com mais de 500 atendimentos anuais e uma clínica odontológica dedicada, que atende em média 250 pacientes oncológicos por mês.
A oncologia pediátrica, sediada no Hospital da Criança e Maternidade, integra o mesmo modelo, com equipes multidisciplinares coordenando o cuidado de crianças sob a mesma designação CACON. Ramalho reconhece que o credenciamento federal não libera automaticamente novos recursos, mas estabelece a base técnica e institucional para que o complexo acesse programas federais futuros e expanda seus serviços especializados — consolidando-se como referência pública de oncologia para os 102 municípios que dependem dele.
In northwestern São Paulo, where cancer patients from 102 municipalities have long traveled between clinics and hospitals for fragmented care, a federal designation this spring signals a shift toward something simpler: treatment under one roof. The Health Ministry has officially recognized Funfarme—the hospital complex anchored by Hospital de Base de Rio Preto and Hospital da Criança e Maternidade—as a High-Complexity Oncology Assistance Center, or CACON. The credential is not ceremonial. It means a patient can now walk into one building and receive consultations, imaging, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, palliative care, and long-term follow-up without being shuttled across the region.
Every year, the complex handles more than 100,000 oncology consultations, exams, and procedures. That includes 18,600 chemotherapy sessions, 18,000 radiation treatments, 2,400 surgeries, and 66,000 consultations. The numbers reflect not just volume but the weight of what the institution has been quietly doing for years—treating cancer patients with the kind of coordinated, multidisciplinary approach that the federal system now formally recognizes. Executive director Horácio José Ramalho framed the designation as institutional validation. "It's a very important milestone for our institution, Rio Preto, and the region," he said, noting that the recognition affirms the complex as a reference point for public health oncology across São Paulo state.
The CACON model exists to prevent exactly what patients have endured: the fragmentation of care, the delays, the emotional and logistical burden of piecing together treatment across separate facilities. Under one system, a patient encounters oncologists, hematologists, radiation specialists, surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, nurses, nutritionists, psychologists, and physical therapists all oriented toward the same goal. The infrastructure supporting them is substantial. Funfarme operates three linear accelerators—TrueBeam STX, Trilogy STX, and Halcyon Elite—plus brachytherapy equipment and a 4D CT scanner designed specifically for radiation simulation with respiratory cycle assessment. According to Dr. Renato José Affonso Júnior, the radiation oncology coordinator, this configuration ranks among the most advanced in the country. The machines enable modern, precise techniques: image-guided radiotherapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy for liver, prostate, and lung tumors, and three-dimensional conformal approaches. Affonso notes that roughly 60 percent of cancer patients require radiation at some point in their treatment, which explains why the center performs more than 18,000 such procedures annually.
Beyond equipment, the designation reflects a human infrastructure. A patient navigator program, now three years old, has guided more than 600 patients through their oncology journey, identifying and removing barriers—social, psychological, financial, logistical—that slow diagnosis and treatment. Nurse Márcia Lanza, who coordinates the oncology assistance line, describes navigators as team members who walk alongside patients, flagging obstacles and coordinating interventions with social services, family support, and health providers. The program has shortened delays and reduced the emotional toll of fragmented care. The complex also operates a palliative care service handling more than 500 patient encounters annually, and maintains a dedicated dental clinic seeing an average of 250 cancer patients monthly—addressing oral complications that arise from chemotherapy and radiation.
Pediatric oncology, housed in the Hospital da Criança e Maternidade, operates under the same integrated model, with physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and therapists coordinating care for children. The CACON designation extends to this population as well. Ramalho acknowledged that the federal credential does not automatically unlock new funding, but it establishes the technical and institutional foundation for future federal programs, investments, and expanded specialized services tied to high-complexity oncology. For thousands of patients across 102 municipalities who have navigated cancer treatment in pieces, the recognition means their reference center is now formally positioned as a complete system.
Citas Notables
The CACON model was created to prevent fragmentation of care, ensure greater patient safety, and provide higher quality oncology treatment.— Dr. Horácio José Ramalho, executive director of Funfarme
At least 60 percent of cancer patients need radiation therapy at some point in their treatment.— Dr. Renato José Affonso Júnior, radiation oncology coordinator
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What does it actually change for a patient the day after this designation takes effect?
Structurally, very little shifts overnight. But institutionally, everything. The complex was already providing integrated care—the designation formalizes it, which opens doors to federal funding streams and partnerships that were previously closed. For patients, the real benefit is that their treatment center is now officially recognized as complete, which affects how other hospitals and clinics refer to them, and how resources flow.
You mentioned 60 percent of cancer patients need radiation. Why is that number so important?
It justifies the scale of the infrastructure. Three linear accelerators, the 4D CT scanner, the specialized physics team—these aren't luxuries. They're responding to a real clinical need. When six out of ten patients require radiation, you need that capacity built in, not as an afterthought.
The patient navigator program sounds like it's doing something different from what doctors do.
Exactly. A navigator isn't diagnosing or treating. They're removing friction. A patient might miss a radiation appointment because they can't afford transportation, or they're depressed, or they don't understand the next step. The navigator finds that barrier and solves it—or connects the patient to someone who can. It's care that happens outside the clinical encounter but makes the clinical encounters actually work.
Why does pediatric oncology matter enough to mention separately?
Because children with cancer are a different population with different needs. They need age-appropriate communication, family-centered planning, and specialists trained in childhood cancers. The fact that the CACON designation extends to the pediatric hospital signals that the system isn't just treating adults—it's treating the full spectrum of cancer patients in the region.
The dental clinic seems like an odd detail to emphasize.
It's not odd at all. Chemotherapy and radiation damage the mouth—teeth, gums, salivary glands. If a patient develops severe oral complications, it can force them to pause treatment. A dedicated dental clinic prevents that. It's one of those invisible supports that keeps the whole system functioning.