Central America faces cancer treatment and diagnosis challenges

Central America faces significant challenges in cancer care due to late diagnoses and limited access to therapeutic options. According to GLOBOCAN 2024 data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an estimated 73,083 new cancer cases were reported across Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Melisa Barbieri, medical manager for Adium in Central America and the Caribbean, noted that late diagnosis remains a critical public health issue in the region. In response, the pharmaceutical company Adium has introduced cabozantinib as a therapeutic option for various tumors. The drug is approved in several Central American countries for treating advanced renal carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer. Approvals for neuroendocrine tumors are currently pending in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.