title: Challenges in Facing the Lung Cancer Epidemic and Treating Advanced Disease in Latin America.
abstract: Lung cancer, the deadliest cancer worldwide, is of particular concern in Latin America. The rising incidence poses a myriad of challenges for the region, which struggles with limited resources to meet the health care needs of its low- and middle-income populations. In this environment, we are concerned that governments are relatively unaware of the pressing need to implement effective strategies for screening, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer. The region has also been slow in adopting molecularly-based therapies in the treatment of advanced disease: testing for epidermal growth factor receptor mutations and anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangements are not routine, and access to targeted agents such as monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors is problematic. In this paper, we review the current situation in the management of lung cancer in Latin America, hoping that this initiative will help physicians, patient associations, industry, governments, and other stakeholders better face this epidemic in the near future.
authors.affiliation: Memorial Cancer Institute, Pembroke Pines, FL; Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL. Electronic address: lraez@mhs.net.
authors.forename: Luis E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Raez
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Thoracic and Head and Neck Cancer Programs, Lynn Cancer Institute, Boca Raton, FL.
authors.forename: Edgardo S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Clinical Trial Management Program, Oncology Department, Early Clinical Trials Unit, University Hospital Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rolfo
authors.affiliation: Centro Paulista de Oncologia e/and HCor Onco, Oncoclinicas do Brasil, Brasil.
authors.forename: Gilberto
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, PUCRS School of Medicine, Porto Alegre RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barrios
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Translational Oncology Group, Clinical Epidemiology Clinical Research Coordinator, ONCOLGroup/FICMAC, Bogota, Colombia.
authors.forename: Andres
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cardona
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine/National Cancer Institute (INEN), Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: Luis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Mas
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Cancerología - Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Arrieta
authors.affiliation: Univ. Católica de Córdoba Instituto Oncológico Córdoba.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Richardet
authors.affiliation: AUNA-Oncosalud, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vallejos S
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, Anderson Clinical Faculty Chair for Cancer Treatment and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wistuba
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Oncology Program, UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sacramento, CA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gandara
authors.affiliation: International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer and University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado.
authors.forename: Fred R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Hirsch
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000453:epidemiology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: ALK; EGFR; Molecular markers; Screening; Targeted therapy