Cancer treatment and diagnosis in Central America

Central American nations, including Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama, face significant public health challenges regarding cancer, characterized by late-stage diagnoses and limited access to advanced therapies. Data from GLOBOCAN 2024 indicates an estimated 73,083 new cancer cases are reported annually across the region.

To address these challenges, new therapeutic options are being introduced. In Costa Rica, the immunotherapy Durvalumab has been implemented as a perioperative treatment for operable gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers, which has shown a 29% reduction in the risk of disease recurrence, progression, or death. Additionally, the pharmaceutical company Adium has introduced cabozantinib to treat advanced renal carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer.

Melisa Barbieri, medical manager for Adium in Central America and the Caribbean, has noted that late diagnosis remains a “critical public health issue” in the region. While cabozantinib is approved in several countries for specific cancers, regulatory approvals for other indications, such as neuroendocrine tumors, remain pending in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.