The impact of sociodemographic factors and health insurance coverage in the diagnosis and clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer in Brazil: AMAZONA III study (GBECAM 0115)

Members of LACOG Breast cancer group have recently published the article “The impact of sociodemographic factors and health insurance coverage in the diagnosis and clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer in Brazil: AMAZONA III study (GBECAM 0115)”

AMAZONA III/ GBECAM 0115 is a prospective cohort study that evaluated Brazilian patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer from 2016 to 2018. This manuscript depicts a wide and detailed scenario of sociodemographic characteristics of 2,950 breast cancer patients at diagnosis. The patients were from 23 sites in Brazil. The results of the study show that patients with public health coverage were diagnosed with symptomatic disease, at later stages and with more aggressive subtypes of breast cancer when compared to patients with private health coverage.

This study brings to light important information that allows us to not only have a better understanding of tumor and patients’ characteristics but also, help to identify gaps within healthcare systems in Brazil. With such knowledge, it’s possible to develop strategies to improve screening and educational programs in the country, especially in the public setting.