UPDATE IN CANCER GENETICS AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES FOR PRECISION MEDICINE IN LATIN AMERICA

Latin America has undergone a rapid sociodemographic transition, and the cancer profile is now changing. However, several cancer genetic studies exist, and the shortage of human and infrastructure resources are among the limitations in this region. There is currently an incomplete picture of the risk attributable to inherited, environmental or lifestyle factors for the most common cancers in our region. Recent prospective studies suggest that the cancer risk profile is different for each genetic variant and also differs by gender, thus, the consideration of gene- and gender-specific risk estimates will be imperative when developing new clinical guidelines for precision surveillance and management for colorectal, breast, endometrial, ovarian and other cancers. Additionally, families with apparent clustering of cancer but without demonstrable pathogenic variants in cancer predisposing genes that are commonly tested for, have an increased risk for any cancer, especially in older ages. Several initiatives are ongoing in Latin America and the aim of this symposium is to know the advances of cancer genetics studies, the impact at clinical diagnosis, and the challenges to implement precision medicine in our region. The themes from the current symposium contain an update of the most common hereditary cancer studies, genetic counseling and patient surveillance and management in Latin America. In addition, collaboratives studies between Latin America and Europe will be presented.