International Collaboration Addresses Rising Cancer Rates in South America

National Comprehensive Cancer Network and Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group to publish cancer treatment guidelines tailored for Brazil.

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Oct. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®)—an alliance of leading cancer centers in the United States—announces a renewed collaboration with the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group (LACOG) to improve cancer outcomes in South America. The international oncology organizations worked together to publish new NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines^®) for Prostate Cancer: Brazil Edition.

The NCCN Guidelines^® for Prostate Cancer: Brazil Edition are now available free-of-charge at NCCN.org/global. Additional Brazilian adaptations of NCCN Guidelines for other cancer types are planned for the future.

"Cancer care in Brazil and throughout Latin America should follow internationally accepted best practices while addressing the unique challenges faced by healthcare providers in the region," said Dr. Karine Trindade, Chair of the LACOG Genitourinary Group. "Standardizing care through evidence-based expert consensus-driven guidelines is associated with better patient outcomes and more efficient resource use. By formalizing these recommendations, we ensure that our medical teams can offer the most up-to-date, expert-vetted treatments tailored to the specific needs of the Latin American population."

Prostate cancer was selected as the first NCCN Guidelines Adaptation to come out of this collaboration based on need. It is the most common cancer type for men in Brazil and the second highest cause of cancer death.¹ The incidence of prostate cancer in the region has been rising steadily by 3-5% a year,² adding to a growing need for access to established, evidence-based treatment recommendations.

"It is always an honor to work with local experts and exchange critical knowledge to enhance care for people with cancer," said Crystal S. Denlinger, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. "This work with LACOG enhances our efforts to define and advance high-quality, high-value, patient-centered cancer care globally. It enables us to adapt our world-renowned NCCN Guidelines to the specific circumstances in Brazil, so that providers have information at their fingertips to help patients with cancer live better lives."

NCCN Guidelines are the recognized standard for clinical direction and policy in cancer management and the most thorough and frequently updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. The primary versions are written by subject-specific, multidisciplinary panels of experts from across leading cancer centers in the United States. Studies have shown that treatment that matches guideline recommendations is associated with longer survival and better outcomes.

The NCCN Global Program first began working with LACOG in 2011, and subsequently embarked on new projects in 2021 to increase accessibility to NCCN Guidelines and related content for providers, patients, family members, and caregivers in Latin America.

There are currently more than 20 global adaptations of the NCCN Guidelines, along with more than 270 translations across 51 languages. NCCN Harmonized Guidelines™ and NCCN Framework for Resource Stratification (NCCN Framework™) offer additional recommendations for defining appropriate treatment for differing resource levels. Learn more at NCCN.org/global.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®) is a not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, equitable, and accessible cancer care so all patients can live better lives. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines^®) provide transparent, evidence-based, expert consensus recommendations for cancer treatment, prevention, and supportive services; they are the recognized standard for clinical direction and policy in cancer management and the most thorough and frequently-updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients^® provide expert cancer treatment information to inform and empower patients and caregivers, through support from the NCCN Foundation^®. NCCN also advances continuing education, global initiatives, policy, and research collaboration and publication in oncology. Visit NCCN.org for more information.

¹ Tourinho-Barbosa RR, Pompeo AC, Glina S. Prostate cancer in Brazil and Latin America: epidemiology and screening. Int Braz J Urol. 2016 Nov-Dec;42(6):1081-1090. doi: 10.1590/S1677-5538.IBJU.2015.0690. PMID: 27622278; PMCID: PMC5117963.

² Mónica S. Sierra, Isabelle Soerjomataram, David Forman, Prostate cancer burden in Central and South America, Cancer Epidemiology, Volume 44, Supplement 1, 2016, Pages S131-S140, ISSN 1877-7821, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canep.2016.06.010. 

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SOURCE National Comprehensive Cancer Network