Status of breast cancer in Latin American: Results of the breast cancer revealed initiative.

The Breast Cancer Revealed initiative was designed and conducted to know the status of breast cancer at each point of breast cancer care, through i) prevention, ii) detection, iii) diagnosis, iv) treatment, and iv) the capacity of our health systems. The expert panel from 11 Latin American countries identified several strategies and proposed high impact priorities, including implementation of prevention policies, improve primary healthcare capacity for breast cancer screening, have adequate infrastructure to make effective and timely diagnoses, have a multidisciplinary team in the treatment process, access to a variety of treatments for all types of patients, have a coordinated and articulated system from primary care to specialized hospital. In a region with limited resources, prioritization in high-impact strategies for breast cancer control could lead to improved clinical outcomes and quality of life for our patients.

Patients' satisfaction with a supportive care program for young breast cancer patients in Mexico: Joven & Fuerte supports patients' needs and eases their illness process.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate patients' outlook and satisfaction with "Joven & Fuerte: Program for Young Women with Breast Cancer (YWBC) in Mexico" (J&F) and to determine its strengths and areas of improvement to better fulfill patients' information and supportive care needs. METHODS: Patients enrolled in J&F for ≥ 6 months at three cancer referral centers were invited via a messaging application to anonymously complete an online survey exploring their perspectives of the program's information delivery, support services, and research component. Descriptive statistics, chi2 test, Student t, and ANOVA were used for analysis. RESULTS: Of 484 eligible patients, 28% completed the survey. The program overall was useful/very useful according to 97% and aided 82% to better cope with their illness. The timing, clarity, and usefulness of the information provided were each described as good/very good by ≥ 83% for the written format and ≥ 98% for the verbal one. Eighty-four percent of patients were very satisfied (≥ 9/10) with psychological support and genetic assessment. The number of support services used was significantly associated with patients' perception of J&F's usefulness. Regarding fertility issues, 45% recalled being informed about preservation strategies and J&F financially supported 27/39 of interested patients. Fifty-eight percent were unaware of J&F's ongoing research component. CONCLUSIONS: Patients' satisfaction with J&F is very high, reflecting that the program is meeting Mexican YWBC's needs by providing useful information means and support services in a limited-resource setting. Efforts must keep up to guarantee the program's continuity and advocate for its extension to other oncologic centers.