NCCN and SLACOM Host International Symposium to Improve Breast Cancer Care in Latin America

Experts from across Latin America explore how to improve access to recommended treatment practices based on the latest international guidelines.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina and PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Nov. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Latin American and Caribbean Society of Medical Oncology (SLACOM) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®) host the Latin American Regional Breast Cancer Summit: Advocating and Implementing Guideline-Concordant Cancer Care for Patients. Esteemed experts from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Columbia, Peru, and the United States will present challenges, barriers, and potential solutions for improving access to guideline-concordant breast cancer care in the Latin American region. The regional summit provides an opportunity for a diverse group of multidisciplinary experts to identify and fill any knowledge gaps in breast cancer care and health system processes for cancer prevention and control in Latin America.

Visit NCCN.org/global for cancer treatment resources that have been tailored for specific regions or translated into Spanish, Portuguese, and other languages.

"There is a clear and urgent need to improve our current processes and systems, including those that guide patients in navigating health systems in Latin America," said Eduardo L. Cazap, MD, PhD, Founder and First President of SLACOM. "We hope that the findings and recommendations from the SLACOM/NCCN Working Group, as well as the feedback from the Latin American Regional Breast Cancer Summit will inform the development of Implementation Guidelines for Breast Cancer that can be used by patients, physicians, and systems to take action to address the needs of patients."

SLACOM and NCCN first launched a project to convene thought leaders, government entities, health care providers, patients, and civil society members to conduct a rigorous analysis of cancer burden, existing guidelines and healthcare utilization and accessibility, gaps, obstacles, and system disruptions to guideline-concordant care in Argentina in 2022. The SLACOM/NCCN Working Group developed a set of findings and recommendations to address the major impediments to guideline implementation in breast cancer care, which were presented and discussed at the summit.

That summit also included a presentation outlining the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Breast Cancer Initiative Implementation Framework to provide a practical model to help inform the work of the group moving forward.

"We are honored to continue working alongside SLACOM and others in the Latin America region," said Wui-Jin Koh, MD, Chief Medical Officer, NCCN. "People with cancer everywhere should have access to treatment based on established evidence-based, expert consensus guidelines. Today's webinar is part of the SLACOM/NCCN Working Group's ongoing commitment to develop procedures that improve the implementation of best practices in this region, according to the latest international standards."

NCCN has previously collaborated with other groups in the Latin American region and translated resources for patients and health care providers into Spanish and other languages. Learn more about how the gold standard NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines^®) have been adapted for various locations and resource levels worldwide at NCCN.org/global.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®) is a not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, equitable, and accessible cancer care so all patients can live better lives. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines^®) provide transparent, evidence-based, expert consensus recommendations for cancer treatment, prevention, and supportive services; they are the recognized standard for clinical direction and policy in cancer management and the most thorough and frequently-updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients^® provide expert cancer treatment information to inform and empower patients and caregivers, through support from the NCCN Foundation^®. NCCN also advances continuing education, global initiatives, policy, and research collaboration and publication in oncology. Visit NCCN.org for more information.

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