Barriers to lung cancer referral, diagnosis, and treatment in Central America and the Caribbean: the health professionals' perspectives.

Purpose: To identify the perspectives from healthcare providers about the limitations in referral, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer (LC) patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study through an Internet-based survey was addressed to physicians of multidisciplinary teams in charge of LC patients from Cuba, Curacao, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago. The questions focused on physicians' perspectives concerning waiting times and the availability of diagnostic and staging procedures in their settings, as well as the access to systemic therapies and continuous medical education (CME).