Long-Term Outcomes of an International Cooperative Study of Intraoperative Radiotherapy Upfront Boost With Low Energy X-Rays in Breast Cancer.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectivity of upfront kilovoltage intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) as a boost in high-risk early-stage breast cancer patients from an international pooled cohort.

Materials/methods: Patients from four centers in three different countries were retrospectively screened. Those with a minimum 1-year follow-up were included.

Life expectancy and cancer survival in Oncosalud: outcomes over a 15-year period in a Peruvian private institution.

Background: There is a large gap in the data on cancer outcomes in Latin America, making it difficult to establish adequate cancer control policies in the region. The aim of our study was to describe the survival, life expectancy estimates and life expectancy changes over time for a large cohort of Peruvian patients insured with Oncosalud, a private healthcare system.

Patients And Methods: We evaluated a retrospective cohort of patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2015 in Oncosalud (Lima-Peru).

Thrombosis in abdominal vessels associated with COVID-19 Infection: A report of three cases.

Hypercoagulability related to SARS-CoV-2 infection is one of the main extrapulmonary complications of COVID-19. We present three cases of intrabdominal thrombotic complications related to the state of hypercoagulability of COVID-19 and its tomographic features. Hypercoagulability state should be taking into account in the interpretation of radiological images in all infected patients with COVID-19.

Telemedicine and the current opportunities for the management of oncological patients in Peru in the context of COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 pandemic is the more challenging public health emergency of the century, producing the collapse of health systems and unprecedented levels of morbidity and mortality around the world, especially in low resource settings. Patients with chronic diseases are the most affected, not only due to the high susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection but also due to the decrease in opportunities for timely care. In this dark landscape, telemedicine, before limited to very specific scenarios, has become one of our main tools to manage cancer patients, particularly in Latin America where COVID-19 has had a strong impact on the public health.

Barriers in Latin America for the management of locally advanced breast cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) is a highly prevalent malignancy in Latin American women, most cases being diagnosed at locally advanced or metastatic stages when options for cancer care are limited. Despite its label as a public health problem in the region, Latin American BC patients face several barriers in accessing standard of care treatment when compared with patients from developed countries. In this review, we analyse the landscape of the four main identified barriers in the region: i) high burden of locally advanced/advanced BC; ii) inadequate access to medical resources; iii) deficient access to specialised cancer care and iv) insufficient BC research in Latin America.

History of the development of radiotherapy in Latin America.

Radiotherapy was the first nonsurgical treatment for malignant tumours and represents one of the oldest disciplines of oncology. In Latin America, as in many parts of the world, the history of modern oncology begins with the implementation of radiation therapy facilities. The development of radiotherapy in Latin America was possible thanks to the seminal work of radiation oncologists in different countries.

Control of cervical cancer in Peru: Current barriers and challenges for the future.

Cervical cancer is the leading malignant neoplasm in Peruvian women. This malignancy is a public health problem and several efforts were previously performed to develop cancer control plans. Geographical, cultural, structural, infrastructural and procedural barriers can limit the implementation of such strategies.

Repeated observation of immune gene sets enrichment in women with non-small cell lung cancer.

There are different biological and clinical patterns of lung cancer between genders indicating intrinsic differences leading to increased sensitivity to cigarette smoke-induced DNA damage, mutational patterns of KRAS and better clinical outcomes in women while differences between genders at gene-expression levels was not previously reported. Here we show an enrichment of immune genes in NSCLC in women compared to men. We found in a GSEA analysis (by biological processes annotated from Gene Ontology) of six public datasets a repeated observation of immune gene sets enrichment in women.

Long-term follow-up of radiation accident patients in Peru: review of two cases.

Overexposure to radioactive sources used in radiotherapy or industrial radiography may result in severe health consequences. This report assesses the initial clinical status and the medical and psychological long-term follow-up of two radiation accident patients from Peru during the mid-to-late 1990s: one patient exposed to a radiotherapy (60)Co source in Arequipa, the other patient to a (192)Ir source in Yanango. Commonalities and differences are described.

Overview of brachytherapy resources in Latin America: a patterns-of-care survey.

Purpose: Relatively little is known about available resources and patterns of practice for brachytherapy (BT) in Latin America. To rectify this situation, we performed a patterns-of-care survey whose aim was to assess the human and material resources available for BT in Latin America and document current clinical practices.

Methods And Materials: A total of 392 radiotherapy (RT) centers located in 17 Latin American countries were asked to complete an online survey that included detailed questions about BT practices, facilities, and staffing.

Multinational assessment of some operational costs of teletherapy.

Background And Purpose: Decisions in planning radiotherapy facilities in countries with limited financial resources require information on economic factors to make provision for sustainability. This study aims at acquiring data on some of these factors involved in delivery of teletherapy in 11 countries of different economic status.

Patients And Methods: Representatives of three European, one African, three Latin American and four Asian countries, were identified from radiation oncology institutions that operated both cobalt and linac teletherapy machines.

Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas: past and present.

The Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas was established by the government of Peru as an institution for the treatment of cancer patients in 1939; it has existed under different names until the current title was adopted in 1952. Between 1980 and 1987, attendance increased by 70% and a new and larger facility came into use at the beginning of 1988. This institution has national responsibility for cancer prevention, detection, treatment, education, and research and is currently organizing satellite treatment centers in other parts of the country.

Postoperative radiotherapy in the management of cancer of the maxillary sinus.

This report comprises 149 patients with carcinoma of the maxillary sinus treated with radical surgery and postoperative radiotherapy (5500 to 6000 cGy in 6 weeks) between 1963 and 1980 at the Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas of Lima. Permanent local control was observed in 67.1% of the cases with a 5-year actuarial survival of 36.

Radiotherapy in the management of locally advanced breast cancer.

A retrospective study of 484 patients with locally advanced cancer of the breast treated with irradiation alone revealed a partial or complete response in 64% of the patients, with a mean duration of 13 months. The 5-year survival was 21.9% for the entire group of patients; 32% for patients responding, and 5% for non-responding patients.