title: Cervical cancer control in Latin America: A call to action.
abstract: Cervical cancer (CC) is second most common cause of cancer in Latin America and is a leading cause of cancer mortality among women. In 2015, an estimated 74,488 women will be diagnosed with CC in Latin America and 31,303 will die of the disease. CC mortality is projected to increase by 45% by 2030 despite human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and screening efforts. In this setting, the goal was of the current study was to examine CC control efforts in Latin America and identify deficiencies in these efforts that could be addressed to reduce CC incidence and mortality. The authors found that HPV vaccination has been introduced in the majority of Latin American countries, and there is now a need to monitor the success (or shortcomings) of these programs and to ensure that these programs are sustainable. This topic was also reviewed in light of emerging data demonstrating that visual inspection with acetic acid and HPV DNA testing without Papanicolaou tests have efficacy from a screening perspective and are good alternatives to cytology-based screening programs. Overall, there is a need to build capacity for CC control in Latin America and the best strategy will depend on the country/region and must be tailored to meet the needs of the population as well as available resources.
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.|Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Brittany L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Bychkovsky
authors.affiliation: Oncology Department, Maria Curie Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Mayra E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Ferreyra
authors.affiliation: Center for Oncology and Hematology, Wilhelminen Hospital, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Strasser-Weippl
authors.affiliation: Department of Breast Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.|Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Christina I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Herold
authors.affiliation: Clinical Oncology, Cancer Institute of Sao Paulo State, Sao Paulo, Brazil.|Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Gilberto
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: de Lima Lopes
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Don S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Dizon
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Schmeler
authors.affiliation: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Del Carmen
authors.affiliation: Global Oncology Initiative, Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts.|Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Tom C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Randall
authors.affiliation: Brazilian Gynecologic Oncology Group, Federal University, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Angelica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nogueira-Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Clinica AMO, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aknar Freire
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: de Carvalho Calabrich
authors.affiliation: The Global Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.|Avon International Breast Cancer Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: St Louis
authors.affiliation: The Global Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.|Avon International Breast Cancer Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.|University of New England, Biddeford, Maine.
authors.forename: Caroline M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Vail
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.|The Global Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts.|Avon International Breast Cancer Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Goss
mesh_terms: D019342:Acetic Acid; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000473:pathology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D007843:Latin America / Q000453:epidemiology; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014626:Vaginal Smears
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines; D019342:Acetic Acid
keywords: Latin America; cervical cancer; human papillomavirus (HPV); screening; vaccination