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Review
. 2021 Nov;22(11):e474-e487.
doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00492-7.

Cancer control in Latin America and the Caribbean: recent advances and opportunities to move forward

Carlos H Barrios  1 , Gustavo Werutsky  2 , Alejandro Mohar  3 , Ana S Ferrigno  4 , Bettina G Müller  5 , Brittany L Bychkovsky  6 , Carlos José Castro E  7 , Claudia J Uribe  8 , Cynthia Villarreal-Garza  4 , Enrique Soto-Perez-de-Celis  9 , Francisco Gutiérrez-Delgado  10 , Ji Seok Kim  11 , Julia Ismael  12 , Lucia Delgado  13 , Luiz A Santini  14 , Nelson Teich  15 , Pamela C Chavez  16 , Pedro E R Liedke  17 , Pedro Exman  18 , Romualdo Barroso-Sousa  19 , Stephen D Stefani  20 , Suyapa A Bejarano Cáceres  21 , Taiane F Rebelatto  2 , Tania Pastrana  22 , Yanin Chavarri-Guerra  23 , Yolanda Vargas  24 , Eduardo Cazap  25
Affiliations
Review

Cancer control in Latin America and the Caribbean: recent advances and opportunities to move forward

Carlos H Barrios et al. Lancet Oncol. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

The increasing burden of cancer represents a substantial problem for Latin America and the Caribbean. Two Lancet Oncology Commissions in 2013 and 2015 highlighted potential interventions that could advance cancer care in the region by overcoming existing challenges. Areas requiring improvement included insufficient investment in cancer control, non-universal health coverage, fragmented health systems, inequitable concentration of cancer services, inadequate registries, delays in diagnosis or treatment initiation, and insufficient palliative services. Progress has been made in key areas but remains uneven across the region. An unforeseen challenge, the COVID-19 pandemic, strained all resources, and its negative effect on cancer control is expected to continue for years. In this Series paper, we summarise progress in several aspects of cancer control since 2015, and identify persistent barriers requiring commitment of additional resources to reduce the cancer burden in Latin America and the Caribbean.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests CHB reports institutional research grants from Pfizer, Pharma Mar, Polyphor, Henlius Biotech, Merck KGaA, Millennium, LEO Pharma, ImClone Systems, Exelixis, Medivation, Asana Biosciences, AB Science, Abraxis Biosciences, Daiichi Sankyo, Bristol Myers Squibb, BioMarin, Astellas Pharma, AbbVie, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Merrimack, Mylan, Taiho Pharmaceutical, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Roche/Genentech, Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, AstraZeneca, and Amgen; advisory board consulting from Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, Lilly, Zodiac, AstraZeneca, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Bayer, Eisai, Roche/Genentech, Pfizer, Novartis, and GlaxoSmithKline; and stocks from MedSIR, Biomarker, and Tummi, outside the submitted work; and declares that these conflicts of interest did not affect this paper. CJCE received honoraria from Merck Sharp & Dohme outside the submitted work. CV-G reports grants, personal fees, and non-financial support from Roche; personal fees from Novartis and Myriad Genetics; personal fees and non-financial support from Pfizer and Merck Sharp & Dohme Oncology; grants and personal fees from Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca, outside the submitted work. FG-D declares travel and accommodation expenses from Pfizer, Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, and Exelixis outside the submitted work. JSK reports part-time employment to contribute to the research and writing of this publication from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and full-time employment as a scientific research associate from Dewpoint Therapeutics. PERL declares grants or contracts from Merck Sharp & Dohme, AstraZeneca, Merck Serono, Halozyme, Roche, Acerta Pharma, Novartis, Regeneron, Myovant Sciences, PharmaMar, Pfizer, PRA Health Sciences, Quintiles, Parexel, Bristol Myers Squibb, Medivation, Janssen, Eurofarma, Pharmaceutical Product Development, Covance, ICON Clinical Research, and Intrials; payment for expert testimony from AstraZeneca; and support for attending meetings or travel (or both) from Roche, Zodiac, and Novartis. PE reports personal fees from Eli Lilly, Novartis, and Libbs, outside the submitted work. RB-S has served as an advisor or a consultant to Eli Lilly, Merck Sharp and Dohme, and Roche; and has received honoraria from Bard Access, Bristol Myers Squib, Libbs, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and Zodiac; and travel and accommodation expenses from Roche and Daiichi Sankyo. TP contributed as part of her role as postdoctoral research associate at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University, Aachen, Germany. YC-G reports travel grant from Pfizer and research grant from Roche. All other authors declare no competing interests.