A Summer with LACOG: Addressing Cancer Inequalities

Written by Jack Atherton, FY1 doctor.

As a third-year medical student, I first came across LACOG - Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group while reading a Nature article on the global crisis in access to oncology drugs.

The piece, written by LACOG’s founder Dr Carlos Barrios, highlighted the stark inequalities faced by patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where rising costs, fragmented health systems, and regulatory hurdles limit access to many of the most essential treatments.

📚As I read further it became clear that the crisis goes beyond access to drugs and extends to the very evidence base that underpins cancer care itself.

Two years later, I had the privilege of spending my summer working with LACOG, where I saw first-hand how their work is confronting these inequalities.

📉 Despite LMICs accounting for over 70% of global cancer deaths:

•⁠ ⁠Less than 10% of cancer RCTs take place in LMICs

•⁠ ⁠Few are led by local investigators

• Leading to an evidence base often misaligned with local realities

💡 What LACOG Does:

LACOG is Latin America’s first multinational cooperative oncology group. It is dedicated to increasing the number and quality of clinical trials across the region. Based in Porto Alegre, Brazil, their team of 70 professionals supports over 700 investigators across more than 250 institutions in 17 countries. 

With 74 ongoing trials (and growing), LACOG aims to:

•⁠ ⁠Build a locally driven evidence base

•⁠ ⁠Ensure research reflects local health realities 

•⁠ ⁠Generate evidence supporting interventions that are feasible for public health systems, not only the minority served by the private sector 

🔍 What I Experienced:

At LACOG’s headquarters, I worked alongside each team involved in trial development from concept, design, and regulatory approval, to funding, recruitment, statistics, and publication.

But LACOG’s impact goes far beyond clinical endpoints. It has a direct effect on the lives of patients, families, and communities across the continent.

During my time there, I visited a public hospital conducting LACOG trials. There, I witnessed the realities many patients face:

•⁠ ⁠Long waits for basic diagnostics

•⁠ ⁠Limited access to treatments routinely available in the UK 

•⁠ ⁠An overstretched public system offering outdated or incomplete care

In this context, LACOG trials provide a highly supportive care environment and access to treatments otherwise unavailable in the public system, giving patients a real chance at better outcomes.

This experience has provided a unique insight into trial development in a region historically underrepresented by cancer research, and a deeper appreciation for the importance of collaboration in cancer care.

I’m incredibly grateful to the entire LACOG team and full of admiration for their work. Looking forward to staying in touch and collaborating again in the future!