Abstract
This article investigates the strategies employed by Antônio Prudente to develop an initiative aimed at combating cancer throughout Brazil, based on his experience in the state of São Paulo. The approach used in the analysis draws on both the historiographical literature and primary sources, focusing on the period from 1934, when the São Paulo Association for the Fight against Cancer was founded, to 1954, when Prudente was appointed director of the National Cancer Service. The study highlights the disputes between cancerologists from the Union and São Paulo, highlighting the uniqueness of the São Paulo proposal, marked by a combination of liberal ideals and the sentiment of "Paulistaness."