Global Cancer Institute Launches New Patient Navigation Program in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

BOSTON - Aug. 1, 2018 - PRLog -- Global Cancer Institute (GCI), which is focused on improving survival rates for underserved cancer patients worldwide, announced today that it has launched a new Patient Navigation program in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Operating out of the Hospital das Clínicas, the program will focus on patients requiring radiotherapy treatments – something 50 percent of cancer patients in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) typically don't have access to.

70 percent of Brazil's inhabitants are covered by state insurance and there is a law that requires health institutions to start treatment for cancer patients no more than 60 days after diagnosis. But infrastructure challenges, including shortages of medical professionals and equipment, mean that only 60 percent of patients meet that goal. The timeframe is particularly urgent for cancer patients, as delays in treatment can lead to higher incidences of mortality.

GCI's Patient Navigation programs are intended to help ensure cancer patients have rapid access to treatment. GCI's trained Patient Navigators help patients find physicians, book treatment appointments and follow up to make sure patients get to appointments. This low-cost intervention is making a big impact: In a Mexico City pilot, the program reduced the median time from diagnosis to referral to a cancer center from two months to 11 days, boosting patient outcomes and survival rates. Patient Navigation programs can have a big impact, helping hospitals raise their standards of care in order to improve survival rates for cancer patients.

Angélica Nogueira Rodrigues, Professor and Researcher at the Hospital das Clínicas, said, "We are grateful to the Global Cancer Institute for launching this program in Belo Horizonte. The need for radiotherapy is rising here, and GCI's Patient Navigation program will help us be more efficient with the equipment we have, so that we can help more patients and save more lives."

About Global Cancer Institute

Global Cancer Institute (GCI) is focused on improving survival rates for underserved cancer patients worldwide. Today, cancer death rates in developing countries are double those in the U.S. – GCI is working to close that gap. GCI works directly with physicians in developing countries to propagate simple interventions and treatments that are common in the U.S today, and proven to accelerate diagnosis, access and treatment. Learn more about our programs at http://globalcancerinstitute.org/.