Advancing Prostate Cancer Management in Latin America

Prostate Cancer Foundation, Pfizer Advance Prostate Cancer Care in Latin America

Visiting Professorship program builds crucial capacity in regions in need

Every year, prostate cancer is diagnosed in nearly 205,000 men in Latin America, and in some areas, up to 60% of patients have stage 4 (metastatic) disease at presentation.1 Prostate cancer is the single most deadly cancer in the region, with a mortality rate second only to Africa. Limited access to screening, diagnosis, and evidence-based treatment and management are important contributors in some areas.

To help address this urgent need, the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF), with key support from Pfizer Inc., has launched an innovative Visiting Professorship program that puts leading U.S. clinician-researchers on the ground in Latin America to work intensively with local clinicians and scientists. The program advances prostate cancer care and research for patients across the disease spectrum, particularly those with high-risk or advanced disease, who require intensive management to achieve the best possible outcomes for men and families.

Each Visiting Professorship program features two full days of sessions led by U.S. experts such as Susan Slovin, M.D., Ph.D., from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, and Channing Paller, M.D., from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Sibley Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Every program is carefully tailored to meet local needs as articulated by program applicants, who are typically principal investigators at Latin American institutions. Common high-level topics include streamlining care delivery, advancing cutting-edge clinical and scientific research, and fostering professional relationships and collaborations, both regionally and internationally.

To date, seven Visiting Professorship programs have been held in multiple cities in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Columbia. Hundreds of clinicians and researchers have participated, including urologists, medical and surgical oncologists, pathologists, primary care providers, medical residents, and others who care for patients with prostate cancer or study this complex and challenging disease.

The Visiting Professorship program has earned high praise from participants. “Thanks to our impact and the professional diversity of our attendees, we were able to begin a collaborative relationship with researchers from Mexico City,” said Héctor Marcelino Díaz-Pérez, M.D., Ph.D., a medical oncologist at Fundación Santos y de La Garza Evia in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, who helped organize a program at his institution. Federico Losco, M.D., a medical oncologist at Instituto Alexander Fleming in Buenos Aires, Argentina, added: “By addressing both clinical and research-oriented aspects of prostate cancer, the program enhanced our capacity to integrate cutting-edge knowledge into routine practice, ultimately benefiting our patients.”

Visiting Professors lauded the experience, too. Dr. Susan Slovin, who co-taught the program in Buenos Aires, said, “I appreciated the attention attendees paid to their diagnostic skills, as well as the state-of-the-art equipment. I believe that we in the United States tend to be biased about other countries’ health care systems. We think that the United States is the be-all, end-all of health care advances. But I was very impressed by the erudition of the medical staff and fellows, their dedication to patient care, and above all, their high standards for healthcare, particularly in high-risk patient groups.”

Dr. Slovin also highlighted Pfizer’s commitment to enhancing national and global prostate cancer care, and how PCF’s support and leadership bring this vision to fruition: “I was impressed that our pharma colleagues are providing educational materials and learning opportunities to help keep our colleagues at an academic level that is commensurate with their physician colleagues in other countries. Our colleagues abroad are very motivated to succeed, to learn and to provide state-of-the-art care with the most up-to-date information and medications available.”

One of the most exciting outcomes of the Visiting Professorship program is its impact on professional relationships and development. Several Latin American participants have already attended or will soon join in PCF’s annual Scientific Retreat, an invitation-only conference that is the world’s foremost scientific meeting on prostate cancer biology and treatment. Visiting Professors and program participants have also met at other conferences, such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and are discussing plans for ongoing learning opportunities. Such relationships maintain and build on program outcomes and exemplify PCF and Pfizer’s steadfast commitment to advancing prostate cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment to extend and improve the lives of millions.

Wassim Abida, M.D., Ph.D.	Weill Cornell Medical College New York, New York
Rahul Aggarwal, M.D.	University of California San Francisco San Francisco, CA
Andrew J Armstrong, M.D. Sc.M.	Duke University Durham, NC
Atish D. Choudhury, M.D., Ph.D.	Boston, MA
Fatima Karzai, M.D.	National Cancer Institute Bethesda, MD
David Kosoff, M.D.	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI
Ravi A. Madan, M.D.	National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD
Mark C. Markowski, M.D., Ph.D.	Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD
Alicia K. Morgans, M.D., M.P.H.	Harvard Medical School Boston, MA
Michael J. Morris, M.D.	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, New York
Channing J. Paller, M.D.	Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD
Susan Slovin, M.D., Ph.D.	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, New York

Reference

1. Schafer EJ, Laversanne M, Sung H, et al. Prostate cancer incidence and mortality: An update. Eur Urol. 2025;87(3):302‑313. doi:10.1016/j.eururo.2024.11.021.