Accessible guidelines for salud del seno

Breast Health Global Initiative, Pan American Health Organization collaboration produces Spanish translation of breast-cancer medical tool

Center News File Photo Translation of the "Guidelines for International Breast Health and Cancer Control" into the world's major languages is a primary goal for Dr. Benjamin Anderson, Breast Health Global Initiative chair and director, and Leslie Sullivan, BHGI senior program manager. Plans include translation of the guidelines into Russian, Chinese and Arabic.

The Breast Health Global Initiative's "Guidelines for International Breast Health and Cancer Control," first published in English in 2006, are now available in Spanish, thanks to collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization's (PAHO) Unit on Non-communicable Disease. PAHO's sponsorship of the translation of the guidelines has made the BHGI evidence-based "best practices with limited resources" freely available for downloading via the BHGI and PAHO Web sites at www.fhcrc.org/science/phs/bhgi or www.paho.org.

The Spanish publication presents an overview of the guidelines and addresses the issues of early detection and access to care, diagnosis and pathology, treatment and allocation of resources, and health systems and public policy, based upon real resources to effectively combat the burden of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries.

The BHGI created the guidelines to help policy-makers and health-care providers with limited resources improve breast-cancer outcomes through evidence-based, economically feasible and culturally appropriate practices.

"The availability of these guidelines in Spanish is a major leap forward in reaching ministries of health, health-care providers, and policy-makers in Spanish-speaking countries," said Dr. Benjamin Anderson, chair and director of the BHGI. "With this and future translations, we hope to lessen the global burden of this devastating disease."

"Breast cancer is a growing problem in Latin America, with some 90,000 cases reported every year, many of them at advanced stages because of poor access to preventive and curative services," said PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses. "The availability of the guidelines in Spanish will be an important contribution for those interested in expanding health services to reach Latin American women early and to improve their quality of life."

Sponsored by the Hutchinson Center and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the BHGI is an extensive international alliance of organizations and individuals around the world devoted to medically underserved women. The Pan American Health Organization works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of their peoples. It serves as the regional office of the World Health Organization.

To learn more about the BHGI, visit www.fhcrc.org/science/phs/bhgi.

» Read more news from Center News Weekly.