With Cancer, Indigenous Chief Raoni Metuktire Receives Palliative Care at Home - 15/09/2026 - Science and Health - Folha de S.Paulo

Indigenous chief Raoni Metuktire has cancer of the digestive system and is receiving palliative care at home, the Raoni Institute announced Monday (14), two months after a lengthy hospitalization. At 94, the Kayapó leader is a prominent figure in the fight for Indigenous rights and the preservation of the Amazon.

The diagnosis is "poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma" and, "considering his age, clinical condition and the high risks of aggressive treatments, medical teams recommended palliative care," the institute said, stressing that this "does not mean an absence of treatment," but rather seeks "the best quality of life possible." Raoni remains under home care in Peixoto de Azevedo, a municipality in Mato Grosso, near the village where he has lived for decades.

He had spent a month hospitalized in São Paulo for an intestinal obstruction and was discharged in July; subsequent tests revealed that the cause was the tumor. Despite being weakened, he took part in April in Acampamento Terra Livre, the country’s largest Indigenous mobilization.