Introdução: O diagnóstico e o tratamento de câncer podem ocasionar consequências traumáticas tanto nos pacientes quanto nos seus familiares, que podem ser diminuídas por meio do apoio social. Objetivo: Identificar as percepções de apoio social de pacientes oncológicos de baixa renda. Método: Estudo descritivo com abordagem qualitativa fundamentado em aspectos conceituais do cuidado, realizado com pacientes oncológicos de baixa renda, assistidos por um núcleo de voluntários de um município do interior de Minas Gerais, seguindo os critérios do Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research. Para a coleta de dados, foram utilizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas gravadas, e o fechamento da amostra se deu pela técnica da saturação teórica. Os dados foram analisados com a utilização da análise temática indutiva. Resultados: Na análise dos dados, emergiram-se três unidades temáticas: relações interpessoais: o suporte recebido de uma rede de colaboração ativa entre pessoas; o cuidado singularizado como fonte de apoio da rede de saúde; e a religiosidade como forma de enfrentamento de situações difíceis. Esses temas retratam aspectos relacionados à rede de apoio que podem contribuir para o cuidado integral ao paciente oncológico, com acolhimento e reconhecimento de necessidades. Conclusão: Uma rede de apoio social sólida e constituída de pessoas que ocupam os mais diversos papeis sociais é percebida como importante para o melhor enfrentamento do câncer na ótica do modelo biopsicossocioespiritual.

Social support to caregivers and family members can contribute to the construction of coping strategies in pediatric cancer diagnosis scenarios. To identify the state of the current literature concerning social support perceived by families and caregivers of children with cancer was the aim of this study. This is an integrative literature review performed in the LILACS and PubMed databases. We selected 10 articles that met the following inclusion criteria: academic articles published from 2014 to 2018, in English, Spanish and/or Portuguese, available in full and as open access, and addressing social support to the family and/or caregivers of children with cancer. The content of the selected articles was organized into the themes “Social support from interpersonal relationships” and “Social support from the health network”, which consider social support as a relevant and significant element in coping with the context of the family living the experience of having a child with cancer. The selected studies showed family members, parents of other children experiencing a similar problem, co-workers, as well as teachers and colleagues of other children as important sources of support. The health network was also an essential source of support, in the assistance, information, instruction, emotional and mediation dimensions of the community resource network. Thus, according to this integrative review, caregivers and family can be supported in different ways, both material and immaterial, and by people who belong to the most diverse social roles.

Objective: To know low-income patients’ perceptions about their trajectory after cancer diagnosis and health promotion actions carried out by them. Methods: This is a descriptive and qualitative study based on conceptual bases of health promotion and quality of life, carried out with low-income cancer patients, over 18 years old, assisted by a Volunteer Center in a municipality in the countryside of Minas Gerais. Recorded semi-structured interviews were used for data collection and the sample was closed using the theoretical saturation technique. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: From data analysis, two themes emerged: Repercussions of cancer on patients’ life trajectory; Health promotion and realignment in ways of living. The reports point out the perceptions about cancer and how it had an impact on ways of living of patients with cancer. Conclusion: Perceptions indicate that the oncological trajectory is hampered by the situation of poverty and that cancer can allow different realignments in patients’ life, such as the search for health promotion. In this scenario, health professionals must recognize the potential of health education, seek to strengthen patient role and carry out actions based on interdisciplinary care practice, in which there is integration of all levels of care.

Congenital syphilis is a challenge for health services and its characteristics is an important area of study. This study identified the profile of congenital syphilis cases reported in an inland region of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, from 2012 to 2016. This is a descriptive historical cohort study from 2012 to 2016, and the data were from documentary sources. The study involved detailed analysis of the compulsory notification forms registered in the Information System on Diseases of Compulsory Declaration (SINAN). For data collection, researchers created a form for subsequent quantitative data analysis approach. The data obtained were tabulated and analyzed using simple descriptive statistics and shown in tables. The data were organized into five charts and separated based on: (1) number of cases notified; (2) information about mothers whose newborns have syphilis; (3) pregnancies that culminated in the birth of newborns with congenital syphilis, diagnosis and treatment of these mothers; (4) information about newborns with syphilis; (5) diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of these newborns. The researchers of this study believe that, by enabling the identification of the profile of congenital syphilis cases reported in a Brazilian region, the results may contribute to the development of health strategies to prevent and control syphilis in mothers and their children.

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