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The need to build on recent progress

Conclusion

Latin America faces a common challenge in

the rise of the cancer burden. However, this

challenge has many faces. Inequalities between

and within countries are reflected in different

cancer profiles and different needs. This

study finds that there are increasing signs of

awareness of the challenge across the region,

as well as some areas with innovation and

positive results. However, there is still much

work to be done in improving the outcomes

of cancer control and in equipping healthcare

systems with the necessary resources

and structures to prepare for this growing

challenge.

Cancer plans are being adopted and are

evolving, with signs of better implementation.

But securing financial and institutional

support for these long-term projects should

be a bigger priority. Society-wide consensus

around cancer is needed. Essential cancer

data also need to be refined. Driven by UHC

commitments, there are signs of growing

investment in healthcare, but there are

many gaps in service availability in the public

sector still, with segments of the population

being excluded. National programmes for

prevention are visible but these need sustained

investment to reach the entire population.

This study introduces the regional version

of a tool to assess national readiness in the

face of the disease: the Index of Cancer

Preparedness—Latin America. The 45 specific

areas measured are desirable attributes for

any country. The ICP contains a wealth of

information that can provide a way to compare

with, and possibly learn from, the performance

of others. We encourage interested readers to

delve into that rich detail.

This study, though, can only offer an overview

of the situation in the region, and there is an

important task for each country to develop

a strategy that meets its specific needs.

However, some key principles have been

gathered from expert insights and desk

research that policymakers could take on

board for the job ahead:

Ongoing cancer planning: planning should

be understood as an ongoing and permanent

process. Countries should not be left for years

with expired or outdated plans, and these

should be regularly updated, ensuring long-

term stability in cancer programmes. Securing

financial mechanisms for operationalisation of

the plans will also be crucial. For example, Chile

is making steps in that direction through its

new plan and a cancer law, to create a robust

governance structure for cancer that prevails

even if government changes.

Investment in cancer registries: cancer

registries were found to be the strongest

predictor of overall good cancer preparedness,

and it is not surprising why. These demand

technical and institutional capacity, and they

provide data that should be the essential input

for policy design and effective monitoring. As

the UICC stresses, registries can be built even

with limited resources.^112

Focus on prevention: successes in tobacco

control in the region show that much

can be achieved with determined action,

but promotion needs more sustained

investment across the board. While there are

achievements in creating immunisation and

screening programmes, they should receive

sustained investment and be subject to strict

monitoring.

(^112) UICC and IARC, “Cancer registries: why, what and how?”..