IHE presents findings at the Patient Advocacy Forum: Early Access to Oncology on the sidelines of ESMO Latin America 2026

At the Patient Advocacy Forum: Early Access to Oncology, on the sidelines of ESMO Latin America 2026,  Andrea Manzano joined virtually to present findings from the Bridging the Gap in Women’s Cancer Care report.

The presentation highlighted that women’s cancers in Latin America represent a significant and growing health challenge, with breast cancer accounting for 29% of cases and cervical cancer ranking second at 8%. Due to the region’s younger population structure, women are often diagnosed at a younger average age than in Western countries, with 13% of diagnoses occurring among women under 40. Survival rates are generally lower than in high-income regions, largely because many cases are diagnosed at a late stage or remain “unstaged” due to weak diagnostic infrastructure.

The session also highlighted several critical challenges across the care pathway.
• Prevention and screening: HPV vaccination coverage remains below the WHO target of 90%, and most countries rely on opportunistic screening rather than organized, population-based programs.
• Infrastructure and workforce: There is a severe shortage of specialists, such as pathologists and gynecologists, as well as limited formal subspecialty training in gynecologic oncology in several countries.
• Access to treatment: Care is often fragmented, and patients in public systems face an average wait of 4.7 years to access new cancer medicines after international approval.

Despite these hurdles, the findings show that investing in women’s cancer care is a strategic economic choice. For instance, comprehensive cervical cancer programs in the region could yield a return of $3.20 for every $1 invested. Success stories such as Uruguay’s universal HPV vaccination program and Peru’s 2025 policy update mandating multidisciplinary teams for breast cancer management provide important models for improving equity and outcomes across the region.

Read more and download the IHE Report “Bridging the Gap in Women’s Cancer Care”

Conference: Patient Advocacy Forum: Early Access to Oncology on the sidelines of ESMO Latin America 2026
Title: Bridging the gap in women’s cancer care: results from Latin America
Date: April 16, 2026