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Sep 27
Education

International 01 - Radiotherapy Under Debate: Defending the Indication in Latin America through Evidence, Value, and Access (Session in Spanish)

TBD
03:00pm - 04:30pm ET
International/Global Oncology

MODERATOR(S)

Hernan Andres Letelier, MD, MS - Fundacion Arturo Lopez Perez

session DESCRIPTION

Across Latin America, radiotherapy is increasingly underutilized or displaced by surgical and systemic alternatives, often due to persistent misconceptions regarding toxicity, surgical biases in organ preservation, and the misapplication of "de-escalation" trials. This displacement occurs even when radiotherapy offers equivalent outcomes and superior cost-efficiency. This 90-minute interactive session, conducted in Spanish, adopts a "Controversial Tumor Board" format to explore real-world clinical scenarios in which the indication for RT is actively debated or replaced. Using representative cases from Latin America, the session will focus on four high-impact disease settings where these tensions are particularly evident: locally advanced rectal cancer, T2-T3 laryngeal cancer, muscle-invasive bladder cancer and lung cancer stage III N2. Rather than traditional lectures, the session simulates multidisciplinary decision-making under real-world constraints. Each case will highlight conflicts between evidence-based recommendations, local variability in surgical quality and staging, access to modern RT techniques, cost-effectiveness considerations, and misconceptions regarding RT-related toxicity versus surgical morbidity. Panelists will address how global trial data and guidelines should, or should not, be extrapolated to Latin American settings.

learning objectives

  1. Analyze and compare the role of radiotherapy versus surgical and systemic alternatives in locally advanced rectal cancer, T2-T3 laryngeal cancer, bladder cancer and lung cancer, taking into account clinical evidence, functional outcomes, and real-world resource constraints in Latin America.
  2. Determine when radiotherapy-based and organ-preserving strategies should be prioritized in multidisciplinary tumor boards, using evidence-based arguments to address common misconceptions regarding radiotherapy toxicity, effectiveness, and long-term outcomes.
  3. Facilitate shared decision-making discussions with patients regarding functional outcomes, effectively communicating the trade-offs between radical surgery (e.g., laryngectomy/cystectomy) and radiotherapy-based preservation to ensure informed consent.

Credits

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits: 1.50

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