Linsey Eldridge

PURPOSE: To conduct a scoping review to identify publications that used data from Caribbean cancer registries (CRs) to characterize the type of information disseminated and identify knowledge gaps. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science: Core Collection and SciELO, and Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences for articles published in English, French, Dutch, or Spanish between January 2012 and May 2023. Articles that used data from a CR located in one or more Caribbean country/territory were included. In Covidence, a two-step screening process at title/abstract and full text was completed by two reviewers independently. Data were extracted from each included article independently by two reviewers using Covidence. A gray literature search of online and paper reports using CR data was also conducted to supplement the literature searches. RESULTS: A total of 126 articles met the inclusion criteria and reported CR data from 1958 to 2018. Of the 33 Caribbean countries/territories included, 12 had at least one publication. Most publications (95%) used data from population-based CRs (PBCRs). Three countries/territories with PBCRs had <3 publications, and three had none. Breast, cervical, and colorectal were the most reported cancers. Ten of 14 (71%) countries/territories with a PBCR had at least one cancer incidence report available from the past 5 years. CONCLUSION: Caribbean CRs have contributed substantially to the peer-reviewed literature, but this is limited to fewer than half of the Caribbean countries and primarily those with a PBCR. Efforts are needed to establish and support PBCRs to produce high-quality data and to bridge the gap between the collection and dissemination of CR data to address key knowledge gaps, prioritize research questions, and inform cancer control policies.

We are pleased to present the accepted abstracts from the 13th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research (ASGCR). The 2025 symposium highlights both the commitment and growth of the global oncology community, marking 5 years since ASGCR’s transition to a fully virtual format. What began as a pandemic-driven necessity has evolved into a deliberate strategy to broaden participation and minimize barriers. Over this period, ASGCR has expanded its reach, expanded its content, and strengthened global collaboration through initiatives such as requiring low- and middle-income country coauthorship, launching the Early Career Investigator Day, and adopting open calls for scientific session proposals.

Importance: Clinical trials represent the gold standard to test the safety and efficacy of new or updated approaches to treatments that will inform quality cancer care. However, cancer trials enroll few patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), are often led by investigators from high-income countries, and do not adequately reflect global disease burden or population diversity.Objective: To identify key challenges and strategies to advance contextually relevant, quality cancer trials in LMICs.Design, Setting, and Participants: The survey used in this survey study was available in English, Arabic, French, Portuguese, and Spanish and was conducted by the US National Cancer Institute from October 18 to December 22, 2023. Clinicians with experience in cancer therapeutic clinical trials in LMICs were eligible. The survey covered their professional background and views on challenges and strategies for improving clinical trial opportunities in LMICs. Analysis was performed from April 2 to August 26, 2024.Main Outcomes and Measures: Respondents were asked to rate 34 challenges by impact on their ability to conduct cancer trials using a 4-point Likert scale and 8 strategies by importance using a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics summarized participants’ backgrounds, challenges, and priorities.Results: Of 453 respondents who began the survey, a total of 223 (49%) were eligible for inclusion, and 131 of those (59%) completed the survey in full. Among the 133 respondents who provided gender data, 81 (61%) were male. In all, 107 of 130 respondents (82%) were affiliated with LMIC institutions, 65 of 223 (29%) were medical oncologists, and 52 of 133 (39%) were midcareer. Financial challenges were rated as the most impactful, with 133 of 170 respondents (78%) rating difficulty obtaining funding for investigator-initiated trials as having a large impact on ability to carry out a trial. Human capacity issues followed, with 105 of 192 respondents (55%) rating lack of dedicated research time as having a large impact. Increasing opportunities for funding and improving human capacity were reported as key strategies to advance capacity to conduct clinical trials in LMICs.Conclusions and Relevance: This survey study of clinicians with clinical trial experience in LMICs suggests that adequate funding and a well-trained research workforce are 2 predominant challenges to advancing cancer therapeutic clinical trials in LMICs. Understanding these obstacles can inform efforts to support cancer clinical trials that better reflect worldwide needs and diversity by prioritizing and sustaining research led by LMIC investigators.

Publication of research is an important tool for the dissemination of scientific knowledge that benefits institutions and individuals.¹ In many settings, authorship is an indicator of scientific contribution, particularly for first and last authors.^2,3 When researchers from high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) collaborate, authorship representation and distribution have been examined as a measure of partnership equity.^4,5