REGIONAL INITIATIVES
THE MISSION AND PLANS
OF THE SOCIEDAD
LATINOAMERICANA Y DEL CARIBE DE
ONCOLOGÍA MÉDICA
,
EDUARDO CAZAP FOUNDER, SOCIEDAD LATINOAMERICANA Y DEL CARIBE DE ONCOLOGÍA MÉDICA
(SLACOM), BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
Latin America is a region of the world with around 10% of the global cancer incidence and
the disease has a significant social and economical impact. SLACOM is a regional medical
oncology society focused on collaborating in cancer research, cancer registries and education,
as well as partnering with cancer organizations to harmonize efforts and to improve
outcomes.
Regarding research, SLACOM has developed an Institute for Cancer Research, focused on
independent and publicly funded clinical and translational research. Promoting activities in the
region, SLACOM is collaborating with IARC in the area of cancer registries through the Global
Initiative for Cancer Registry Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (GICR) and
has a strong alliance with the recently created Latin American Network of Cancer Institutes –
Red de Institutos Nacionales de Cáncer (RINC), to help coordinate and strengthen efforts to
prevent and control cancer in the region.
atin America is a region of the world that has within the global community.
L approximately 10% of the global cancer incidence
and the disease has a significant social and
economical impact.
‰ To develop regional criteria and standards for the
prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
‰ To promote the growth and subsequent development of
It is critical to establish for our countries the best possible cancer research in the region.
strategy to face the problem; there are existing resources and ‰ To work as a professional regional oncology organization
the region has different health care systems, variable in to partner with sister international oncology
organization but with resources generally from government organizations.
sources (ministries of health, private, provinces, unions or ‰ To promote and provide continuous education in oncology
mixed). throughout the region.
The main problem is that the allocation of resources is not
well coordinated, with frequent duplications, overlaps or gaps. SLACOM plans for independent research and
SLACOM is focused on collaborating in selected areas such publicly funded trials
as cancer research, cancer registries and education, as well as Clinical research is vital to the development and improvement
partnering with local, regional or international cancer of methods to prevent, detect and treat cancer.
organizations to harmonize efforts and to improve outcomes. The majority of clinical trials take place in the developed
Within this general picture, the founders defined the vision world through sponsored pharmaceutical company research.
of SLACOM as an organization working for the development The corresponding lack of research in developing countries
of a scientific society acting in cancer prevention, early results in two unmet needs related to cancer treatment in the
detection, and proper treatment for patients in our region, developing world. First, recommended treatments do not
focused on following main objectives1: reflect ethnic (genetic), cultural and resource differences
‰ To integrate Latin American oncologists more strongly between developed countries and developing countries that
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