Cancer in Ceará: shaping a medical and social problem, 1940-1954.

This article addresses the shaping of cancer as a relevant medical and social problem in the Brazilian state of Ceará from 1940 to 1954. While this disease initially garnered little importance on the local medical and health agenda, and was considered a problem for philanthropy, a group of physicians and allies brought cancer to the public health agenda and led to the Campaign Against Cancer in 1954. This group's ability to unite internal and external allies with a broader reach portrayed cancer as a relevant medical and social problem in Ceará. We demonstrate this new portrayal in medical articles, institutional documents, biographies, newspapers, and other documents produced on and by the characters involved with anticancer activities in Ceará.