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.

Human papillomavirus infection in Honduran women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or cervical cancer.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to investigate human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes in women with cervical intraepithelial lesions and cervical cancer (CC) in Honduras and to identify epidemiological cofactors that contribute to the development of CC.

Methods: Among the 289 patients analyzed, 139 had low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), 60 had high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), and 90 had CC.

Results: The HPV DNA was detected in 113 women (81%) with LSIL, in 58 women (97%) with HSIL, and in 84 women (93%) with CC.

Burning wood in the kitchen increases the risk of cervical neoplasia in HPV-infected women in Honduras.

There is suggestive evidence that the use of wood for cooking increases the risk of invasive cervical cancer. We investigated this association in women with cervical neoplasia in Honduras. Women aged 20-64 years with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade I (n = 44), CIN II (n = 36) or CIN III (n = 45) were recruited from screening programs in Tegucigalpa City and each was matched by age and clinic to 2 controls (241 total) without cervical abnormalities.