Search

According to the Pan American Health Organization, noncommunicable diseases, including cancer, are the leading causes of preventable and premature death in the Americas. Governments and health care systems in Latin America face numerous challenges as a result of increasing morbidity and mortality from cancer. Multiple international organizations have recognized the need for collaborative action on and technical support for cancer research and control in Latin America. The Center for Global Health at the US National Cancer Institute (NCI-CGH) is one entity among many that are working in the region and has sought to develop a strategy for working in Latin America that draws on and expands the collaborative potential of engaged, skilled, and diverse partners. NCI-CGH has worked toward developing and implementing initiatives in collaboration with global partners that share the common objectives of building a global cancer research community and translating research results into evidence-informed policy and practice. Both objectives are complementary and synergistic and are additionally supported by an overarching strategic framework that is focused on partnerships and science diplomacy. This work highlights the overall strategy for NCI-CGH engagement in Latin America through partnerships and diplomacy, and highlights selected collaborative efforts that are aimed at improving cancer outcomes in the region.

Incorporating research objectives into national cancer control plans informs effective implementation, and ultimately, health outcomes. We sought to explore the inclusion and description of research priorities in select low- and middle-income countries’ (LMIC) cancer control plans to elucidate gaps and collaborative opportunities. LMIC plans published in English, in 2016 or later, and met World Bank and Human Development Index criteria, comprised the eligible sample. A systematic, inductive approach was used to characterize the research priorities. Two overarching categories of research priorities were identified: Establishing Research Agendas (ERA) and Building Research Capacity (BRC). Codes were subsequently assigned to distinguish between types of research and strategies for developing research capacity. Twelve LMIC cancer control plans were included in the analysis. Six of the 12 plans articulated ERA priorities involving five types of research; the most frequently planned being Health Services Research (31%), followed by Epidemiologic (27%) and Clinical (27%). Five strategies were proposed to build research capacity; the most frequently proposed were “Enhance Cancer Surveillance” (44%) and “Establish Research Infrastructure” (24%). Country-specific variation in ERA and BRC priorities were observed across research type and cancer continuum phase. This is the first systematic examination of research priorities in a subset of LMIC national cancer control plans. Findings suggest that some LMICs intend to focus their research efforts in specific areas and others plan to integrate research across the continuum to enhance cancer control efforts. The extent and overlap of research priorities between countries demonstrates promise for trans-national research collaborations.