Uniting Latin America Through Research: How Regional Research Can Strengthen Local Policies, Networking, and Outcomes for Patients With Lung Cancer

Abstract

Lung cancer represents a considerable global health threat, leading the list in terms of cancer-related deaths worldwide. An important proportion of lung cancer cases occur within Latin America, and current projections show that over the next decade, the number of deaths due to lung cancer will double in the region, underscoring the need to implement evidence-based interventions to improve outcomes. Several challenges have limited the progress in lung cancer research in Latin America for many years, though recently the surge of multidisciplinary, transnational, and transcultural research groups have overcome many of these limitations. The increase in region-specific knowledge has improved cancer care in the area, providing clinicians with a specific demographic and molecular profile for Hispanic patients with lung cancer; as a result, the implementation of precision oncology has benefited from a profound knowledge of the patient profile. Nonetheless, there are still challenges to improve research in Latin America, including stabilizing funding sources to continue independent research, supporting mentoring programs and an early immersion in clinical research for early career fellows, and overcoming barriers for publishing.

Lung Cancer Clinical Trials in Latin America in the Era of Cooperative Groups: A 20-Year Analysis

“…Other possible contributing factors identified by Arrieta et al include fewer funding opportunities and a lack of incentives to conduct clinical research, conclusions which are supported by this study's finding that the few LA trials that were initiated were in countries with the highest gross domestic product in the region. 1 , 14…”

“…The increase in the number of clinical trials in the post-OCG era corroborates the conclusions drawn by Arrieta et al that the organization of cooperative cancer research groups in Latin America has helped to improve cancer research in this region. 1 This increase in clinical trial participation may reflect that lung cancer researchers in Latin America, such as Arrieta, Raez, and others, have advocated for greater participation in clinical trials. 1 , 9 , 11 , 15 This increase in clinical trial participation, potentially mediated via Latin American OCGs, would parallel other advances in clinical research that have been made through these organizations, which include the establishment of research mentorship opportunities and utilization of cancer registries in clinical lung cancer research.…”

“…Lung cancer research in Latin America has historically lagged behind other regions such as the United States, Asia, and Europe. 1 This deficiency stems from a number of barriers including a lack of national lung cancer registries in many countries, limited funding and time dedicated to lung cancer research, and a lack of widespread specialized training opportunities for researchers and other cancer specialists. 2 , 3 Despite these barriers, lung cancer researchers in Latin America have published findings highlighting region-specific trends in lung cancer epidemiology, differential resource utilization, and survival responses to lung cancer treatments, thus highlighting the need for increased efforts in lung cancer research in this region.…”

Survival Outcomes of Metastatic Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients With Limited Access to Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy in a Cancer Center of a Low- and Middle-Income Country

“… 41 Cooperative groups have shown important advances for molecular characterization of our own population and paved the way for addressing special regional issues such as ancestries and its implications in the prevalence of certain targetable mutations. 42 , 43 …”

Will We Unlock the Benefit of Metformin for Patients with Lung Cancer? Lessons from Current Evidence and New Hypotheses

“…NSCLC patients with either absence of a targeted oncogenic driver mutation or high programmed death-ligand 1 (PDL-1) expression are frequently treated with platinum-based doublet chemotherapy and bevacizumab, particularly when access to immunotherapy is lacking [ 106 ]. Median overall survival in this patient subgroup ranges from 10 to 12 months, demonstrating the need for new therapeutic opportunities.…”