Liga Contra el Cancer

Objetivo: Mapear as evidências científicas sobre o uso de cloreto férrico para hemostasia de feridas neoplásicas malignas sangrantes entre pacientes adultos no contexto da assistência à saúde. Método: Revisão de escopo conduzida conforme as recomendações do Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). Foram consultadas as bases de dados eletrônicas Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE)/PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), EBSCO, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) e bases de literatura cinza, desde sua criação até 15 de agosto de 2025. Resultados: Identificou-se 31.952 registros; destes, 17 foram incluídos. Os estudos contemplaram o emprego do cloreto férrico, em diferentes apresentações e concentrações, nas áreas da ginecologia/obstetrícia, odontologia e dermatologia, entre pacientes cirúrgicos. Não foram reportados eventos adversos graves após o uso, e nenhum estudo incluiu pacientes com feridas neoplásicas malignas sangrantes. Conclusão: O cloreto férrico tem sido empregado como hemostático em adultos com distintos agravos à saúde. Entretanto, a ausência de evidências específicas em feridas neoplásicas sangrantes aponta para a necessidade de novos estudos que investiguem sua efetividade e segurança nesta categoria de pacientes.

Globally, there is increasing evidence that incorrect penicillin allergy labels negatively affect patient outcomes, antibiotic prescribing and antimicrobial resistance, leading to growing concern about this patient safety issue and how to resolve it. While many millions of patients worldwide have incorrect penicillin allergy labels, there are too few specialist allergists and a lack of ‘point-of-care’ tests to address this problem. Numerous research studies now provide evidence of the feasibility and importance of widening access to penicillin allergy assessment. Researchers from two UK-based studies (SPACE and ALABAMA), in collaboration with key stakeholders including patient representatives, gave their views to shape a high-level implementation plan to facilitate widening access to penicillin allergy assessment in the UK. This Viewpoint describes the basis of the implementation plan and summarizes the key actions required for successful delivery. While the plan is intended for the UK, we hope to promote international shared learning and collaboration to address this global problem informed by the UK context.

Introducción. El cáncer gastrointestinal es una de las principales causas de muerte por cáncer en Colombia, generando altos costos. En las mujeres la salud no solo depende de las enfermedades de los órganos femeninos, sino que las enfermedades malignas del tracto digestivo deben tenerse muy en cuenta. El objetivo de nuestro estudio fue determinar la asociación del riesgo cardiovascular con el estadio tumoral y la presencia de complicaciones posoperatorias en mujeres con cáncer gastrointestinal. Métodos. Estudio descriptivo, de corte transversal, en 231 mujeres con cáncer gastrointestinal atendidas entre 2018 y 2023 en el Servicio de Cirugía Gastrointestinal de La Liga AmaSalvarVidas, en Pereira, Colombia. Se incluyeron variables sociodemográficas, factores de riesgo cardiovascular, características del cáncer gastrointestinal y desenlaces clínicos y quirúrgicos. Se evaluó la asociación de factores de riesgo cardiovascular con el estadio tumoral y su desenlace posoperatorio. Resultados. La edad media de las pacientes fue 64 años. Los tumores más frecuentemente operados fueron de colon, recto y estómago. El riesgo cardiovascular alto se asoció con una mayor morbimortalidad posoperatoria, mientras que el riesgo cardiovascular bajo se asoció con la presencia de estadios tumorales avanzados. Conclusiones. La salud de las mujeres trasciende las enfermedades asociadas a sus órganos femeninos. La presencia de factores de riesgo cardiovascular en mujeres con tumores gastrointestinales desempeña un papel relevante en el estadio tumoral y el desenlace posoperatorio. Promover la salud integral de las mujeres es una condición sine qua non para la atención efectiva.

Maternal mortality remains a significant public health issue in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with high incidence rates in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). While maternal mortality decreased by nearly 45% between 1990 and 2015, regional inequalities persist. This study assesses maternal mortality trends in LAC women from 1997 to 2019, providing key insights to address this issue. An ecological observational time-series study was conducted using data from the WHO Mortality Database for 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean between 1997 and 2019, focusing on women aged 15–49 years. Age-standardized maternal mortality rates (ASMR) per 100,000 person-years were estimated using the direct method, based on the SEGI world standard population. The MMR, defined as maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, was calculated using data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Trends were analyzed using Joinpoint regression to estimate the Annual Percentage Change (APC) and Average Annual Percentage Change (AAPC), with p < 0.05 indicating statistical significance. The highest maternal mortality rates in 1997 were reported in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Paraguay, while by 2019, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Paraguay had the highest rates. Similarly, the highest maternal mortality ratios (MMRs) in 2019 were observed in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Paraguay. Joinpoint regression identified significant annual reductions in maternal mortality rates in seven countries—particularly Nicaragua (AAPC: −6.7%) and Guatemala (AAPC: −4.2%)—while Venezuela exhibited a significant increase (AAPC: +5.3%). Regarding MMR trends, the most notable improvements were seen in Nicaragua (AAPC: −4.5%) and Costa Rica (AAPC: −2.0%), whereas Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela experienced significant upward trends. Despite overall progress, regional differences in maternal mortality persist across Latin America and the Caribbean. These variations highlight the importance of strengthening maternal health systems, improving access to skilled birth attendance, and ensuring quality prenatal and postnatal care. Future studies should explore underlying contextual and structural factors driving these trends and promote the use of disaggregated data to inform equitable health policies.

Introducción: En Honduras, el cáncer de cérvix es el segundo tipo de cáncer más frecuente. Objetivo: Evaluar la precisión diagnóstica de la citología cervical y la colposcopia para detectar neoplasia intraepitelial cervical (NIC). Métodos: Estudio retrospectivo de precisión diagnóstica realizando revisión de expedientes en pacientes atendidas entre enero 2019-abril 2023 en la Consulta de Ginecología del Centro de Cáncer Emma Romero de Callejas en Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Se incluyeron 271 pacientes que contaban con los tres estudios (citología, colposcopia y biopsia, esta última considerada el estándar de oro). Se estimaron la sensibilidad, especificidad y valores predictivos de cada prueba. Resultados: La citología para las lesiones intraepiteliales escamosas (LIE) mostró una sensibilidad (S) de 56.1% (IC95% 50 - 61.9) y una especificidad (E) de 42.9% (IC95% 15.8 - 74.9), y la colposcopia presentó S 97.7% (IC95% 95 - 98) y E 14.3% (IC95% 2 - 51). Para la lesión intraepitelial escamosa de bajo grado (LSIL), la citología tuvo S 34.7% (IC95% 28.2 - 41.2) y E 71.2% (IC95% 57.8 - 81.7), y la colposcopia S 88.1% (IC95% 83.1 - 91.8) y E 67.3% (IC95% 53.8 - 78.4). En la lesión intraepitelial escamosa de alto grado (HSIL), la citología presentó S 37.8% (IC95% 25.1- 52.3) y E 93.8% (IC95% 89.9 - 96.3), y la colposcopia una S 73.3% (IC95% 58.9 - 84.0) y E 90.7% (IC95% 86.2 - 93.9). Discusión: La colposcopia es más sensible y la citología más específica. Su combinación mejora la precisión en NIC, recomendando su uso conjunto.

Background:Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignant neoplasm in children representing the leading cause of death in pediatric oncology. However, studies in the Latin American and Caribbean region are scarce. The objective of this study was to determine the childhood ALL-mortality rates of Ecuador and Peru from 2005 to 2020. Methods:We retrieved ALL deaths from the mortality databases of Ecuador and Peru. Age-standardized mortality rates per 100,000 person-years were estimated. Mortality trends were evaluated by country, and sex, between 2005 and 2020 with Joinpoint regression analyses. Results:Between 2016 and 2020, Ecuador and Peru reported a mortality rate of 1.7 for boys and 1.2 for girls 0-14 years of age. The Coastal region had the highest mortality rate in this period for both age groups, and the Rainforest had the lowest rates. Only Peru showed a significant increase in both sexes, with large increases for boys in the Highlands (+17.6% annually) and girls in Lima (+13.3% annually). Conclusion:Our findings suggest considerable increases in ALL mortality in Peru. It is important to implement public health strategies for early diagnosis and timely treatment of children with ALL in Peru.

BackgroundSentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy in melanoma patients has an important role in staging, prognosis assessment, and treatment definition. Few studies have evaluated its role in the Acral Melanoma (AM) subtype.ObjectiveTo evaluate the results of SLN biopsy in 79 patients with acral melanoma treated at a single oncological center and compare them with the data described in the literature.MethodsBetween January 2016 and December 2022, the authors analyzed all patients with AM who underwent SLN biopsy in a single institute. The authors analyzed the epidemiological, clinical and histopathological data. Overall Survival (OS) and Disease-Free Survival (DFS) curves were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate analyses were conducted using the Cox regression model.ResultsDuring the period, the authors analyzed 79 cases. The mean age was 60 years and median thickness was 4.5 mm and 67.1% had ulceration. SLN was positive in 27 patients (34.2%). The estimated OS and DFS were 67.7% and 45.2%. OS was better in the negative SLN group compared to the positive SLN group (70.9% vs. 53.2%), but without statistical significance (p = 0.08). Estimated DFS for positive SLN was associated with a significantly worse prognosis (33.8 × 46.7%, p = 0.001).Study limitationsThe retrospective nature of the study and the limited number of patients.ConclusionsThe present study has significant implications for determining prognosis. Patients with AM and positive SLN had a worst prognosis compared to those with negative SLN.