Oncology Education in Latin America: A Systematic Review of Curricular Gaps, Teaching Strategies, and Regional...

Introduction Cancer is becoming a leading cause of death in Latin America, yet oncology training for health professionals remains uneven. This review synthesizes evidence on oncology education for professionals, trainees, and community health workers (CHWs) in Latin American settings to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement. Methods We followed PRISMA 2020. The protocol was developed a priori and registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251108769) after initial screening. Searches covered PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, LILACS, and SciELO. Eligible studies evaluated oncology education for professionals/trainees or CHWs and reported educational or implementation outcomes; patient-only education was excluded. Two reviewers conducted screening, extraction, and risk-of-bias appraisal using an adapted Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Given heterogeneity, findings were narratively synthesized. Results Nine studies met inclusion criteria, spanning undergraduate, postgraduate/continuing, educator-training, and one secondary-level"pipeline" feasibility setting. Brazil was most represented, with additional work from Puerto Rico, multinational cohorts, and a U.S. border CHW-training context relevant to Latin American populations. Interventions included academic leagues, concept mapping, remote/online modules, train-the-trainer programs, and a regional nurse-educator hub. Several studies reported short-term improvements in knowledge or self-efficacy and high feasibility/acceptability. Most had moderate risk of bias due to non-randomized designs, self-reported outcomes, and short follow-up.Conclusions Published research on oncology education for health professionals in Latin America is limited and heterogeneous. Promising models show feasibility and short-term learning gains, but multicenter comparative evaluations with standardized outcomes, longer follow-up, and attention to implementation and educator capacity are needed to inform scalable, competency-based approaches across the region.