Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer and the main cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide and in Brazil. A high proportion of patients are diagnosed with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) in Brazil, mainly due to limited coverage of screening programmes. A disparity in the access to optimal treatment is evident between the public and private health systems which impact patient outcomes. Clinical research is an opportunity for patients, institutions and investigators and therefore should be facilitated through a better regulatory environment. In a country facing a trend of increasing BC incidence for the next years, it is critical to improve BC screening and incorporate new medicines and devices into the public health system to control the burden of LABC.
Highlights
Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer and the main cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide and in Brazil
Compared to the USA, Brazil has a lower number of radiation units (9.85 versus 0.93 per million population), that rate is comparable with other Latin American countries [28]
Since 2012, a Brazilian Government Federal Act has established that patients diagnosed with cancer in Brazil have access to free, contemporary treatment that must begin a maximum of 60 days after the cancer diagnosis (Law n. 12,732, Nov. 22, 2012)
Summary
Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer and the main cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide and in Brazil. Patients from the public health system presented with a higher rate of locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) disease probably due to lower educational level and poor access to screening programmes for BC. There are regional differences in terms of stage at diagnosis within Brazil, where patients from the states in the north and central-west regions, which have a higher rate of poverty, had a higher chance of being diagnosed with LABC [10].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
