Health technology assessment in Brazil - an international perspective.

Given the financial impact of the adoption of new health technologies in health systems, choosing what technology should be introduced and when poses a major challenge for health managers. The health technology assessment (HTA) process should therefore be underpinned by transparent and objective criteria. The objective of this study was to analyze HTA processes in Brazil, overseen by the National Commission for the Incorporation of Health Technology (CONITEC), and to compare these processes with those in countries considered to be at the forefront of this field: Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Health care factors associated with survival among women with breast cancer on hormone therapy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2004 - 2010.

Objectives To better understand the role that health care plays in breast cancer survival by investigating the effects that hormone therapy adherence and other select health care variables, adjusted for clinical and sociodemographic factors, had among a population of women in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Methods This was a longitudinal study based on secondary data of 5 861 women treated with hormone therapy (tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors) at the National Cancer Institute of Brazil (INCA), from 1 January 2004 - 29 October 2010. Four different sources of data were integrated for analysis: INCA Pharmacy Sector Dispensation System; Hospital-based Cancer Registry; Integrated Hospital System and INCA Absolute System; and Mortality Information System.

Immunohistochemical determination of estrogen receptor-alpha in vaginal and tumor tissues of healthy and TVT-affected bitches and their relation to serum concentrations of estradiol-17beta and progesterone.

One of the most frequent canine neoplasms is the transmissible venereal tumor (TVT), which affects the male and the female genital tract. The objective of this study was to determine (immunohistochemically) estrogen receptor (ER-alpha) expression in vaginal tissue of healthy bitches and in the vaginal and neoplastic tissues of TVT-affected bitches. Fifty-eight bitches were divided into two groups: tumor group (TVT) and control group (healthy).