AMAZON CANCER CARE NETWORK: TERRITORIAL LOGICS AND GAPS IN CARE

Abstract

This article focuses on women from rural Amazonas and their therapeutic itineraries in coping with cancer. The objective is to understand, based on the narratives of women living at the Lar das Marias support home, the therapeutic itinerary for cancer treatment in Amazonas. A qualitative, narrative-based approach was adopted, supported by William Labov's hermeneutics. Eight women were interviewed, exploring their trajectories and treatment choices amid geographic, logistical, and cultural barriers. The analysis reveals how distance and inequalities in access to health services increase the time between the first symptoms and diagnosis, affecting the quality of the prognosis. Furthermore, the role of cultural metaphors associated with cancer and the psychosocial impact of the diagnosis, which includes isolation and the reorganization of family relationships, are highlighted.