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The cancer type with the highest five-year prevalence rate in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024 was breast cancer, with  cases per 100,000 population. This was followed by prostate cancer and cervical cancer, with prevalence rates of  and  cases per 100,000 population, respectively. That year, breast and prostate cancer were also the two cancer types with the highest mortality rates in the region.

Regional variations in cancer prevalence

While breast cancer has a higher prevalence rate in Latin America overall, individual countries show distinct patterns. Uruguay stands out with the highest age-standardized cancer prevalence rates in Latin America and the Caribbean for both men and women, at ** and ** cases per 100,000 population as of 2022, followed by Barbados, Cuba, and Argentina. When it comes to differences between genders, while some countries like Chile and Cuba show higher rates among men, most nations in the region report higher prevalence rates among women.  

Medical equipment for diagnosis and treatment

Like prevalence rates, the availability of specialized medical equipment used for cancer diagnosis and treatment in Latin American hospitals varies from country to country and from technology to technology. As of 2023, while one in four hospitals in the region had CT scanners, only one percent had robotic surgery systems. When it comes to basic equipment, ECG and ultrasound machines are the most common type of equipment found in Latin American hospitals.