Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, in collaboration with Pfizer Global Medical Grants, has announced grants totaling more than $1 million to support innovative approaches for addressing inequities and improving the quality of metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patient care in Latin America, where breast cancer remains the most common type of cancer in women. These grants will support nine projects in seven countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.  

This is the second partnership between Conquer Cancer and Pfizer Global Medical Grants, powered by Conquer Cancer’s EveryGrant® program. The EveryGrant program is an end-to-end, white label solution that helps organizations develop and deliver grant programs that attract the brightest researchers and make a difference for people with cancer everywhere. The first collaboration, in 2021, supported six research projects to identify disparities in care delivery and treatment outcomes for patients of color with mBC across the United States. The collaboration’s success facilitated future engagement between the partners with the same goal of improving patient care on a global scale.  

In developing the grant program for Latin America, Pfizer relied on Conquer Cancer’s EveryGrant® for project management. They also partnered with ASCO’s Latin America Regional Council to provide scientific expertise, review, and regional context. “We are extremely proud to be able to support this unprecedented partnership with Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, and the Latin America Regional Council to develop, launch, and select these valuable independent medical projects, focused on improving the quality of care and equity of breast cancer management in our countries, with the ultimate goal to positively impact patients’ lives and improve healthcare in the region,” says Miguel Briceno, MD, Pfizer Regional Director for Medical Grants, Latin America. 

Members of the Latin America Region Council were involved in every aspect of the program, from developing the request for proposals (RFP) to promoting the opportunity throughout the region, evaluating the proposals, and selecting the recipients. By working with ASCO’s Latin America Regional Council, Pfizer ensured that the RFP would truly reflect the needs of mBC patients in the region, as would the ultimately funded projects. The RFP received more than 60 applications for the nine awards. “We have been very fortunate to work with Pfizer on this program,” says Dr. Claudio Martin, chair of the Latin America Regional Council. “They allowed the council to develop a grant by the people and for the people of Latin America. I am excited about the impact we will make together.” 

Improving Metastatic Breast Cancer (mBC) Patient Quality of Care and Equity in Latin America Awardees: 

Ingiborg Araya, MD, PhD 
Grupo Oncologico Cooperativo Chileno de Investigacion (GOCCHI) 
Chile  
“Pattern of care of metastatic breast cancer in five Latin American Countries”

Gustavo Arruda, MD, PhD 
University of Sao Paulo 
Brazil 
“Evaluating the influence and interaction between patient, tumor characteristics and social determinants of health on survival of metastatic breast cancer in patients from a Latin American Country: a population study”

Yanin Chavarri Guerra, MD 
Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion Salvador Zubirán 
Mexico 
“Social Determinants of Health and Disparities in Cancer Care for patients with metastatic breast cancer in Mexico”

Valeria Colomo Costas, MD 
Grupo de Estudios Clínicos Oncológicos del Perú  
Peru  
“Mobile application: “mamaCARE,” digital tool for metastatic breast cancer patients” 

Maria Gonzalez Donna, MD 
Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (INCAN) 
Paraguay 
“Network implementation for the orientation and prompt attention of patients with diagnosis or suspicion of metastatic breast cancer (RACAM)” 

Jorge Luis Hidalgo, MD 
Fundación Centro Oncológico de Integración Regional (COIR) 
Argentina  
“Inequities in the comprehensive management of patients with advanced or locally advanced breast cancer”

Amalia Hosein, PhD 
The University of Trinidad and Tobago 
Trinidad and Tobago 
“Improving metastatic breast cancer (mBC) quality of care and equity in the Caribbean”

Maria Jimena Montoya, RN 
Universidad CES 
Colombia 
“Navigation strategy, self-management, and support for women with metastatic breast cancer in Colombia”

Gustavo Sandival, MD 
Hospital Regional Guillermo Diaz de la Vega 
Peru
“Integration Plan of a Palliative Medicine Program for a Patient with Metastatic Breast Cancer in Southern Peru”

ASCO’s Regional Councils guide the application of ASCO programs, products, and services to address barriers to quality cancer care and to support ASCO members in their regions. They also help members get involved in ASCO initiatives and serve as liaisons between ASCO and their national societies. There are currently Regional Councils in Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Regional Council inquiries: morgan.dean@asco.org
Conquer Cancer EveryGrant inquiries: andrew.smith@conquer.org