Structural Inequities in Global Oncology: Latin America and Caribbean Representation at the ASCO Genitourinary...

Speaker roles at major international oncology meetings mark academic visibility and leadership, yet representation of Latin America and Caribbean (LAC)-affiliated investigators remains poorly characterized. We evaluated LAC-affiliated faculty appearances at the ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO GU) from 2021 to 2025.

We systematically reviewed ASCO GU programs (2021-2025). Eligible sessions included General Session, Oral Abstract Session, and Rapid Oral Abstract Session. Affiliation was determined by institutional listing. We recorded total faculty appearances and stratified faculty appearances into invited educational, abstract-linked, and leadership roles. We additionally examined discussant and moderator appearances separately and identified the assigned speaker for each Oral or Rapid Oral presentation with at least one LAC-affiliated author.

Among 84 eligible sessions comprising 540 faculty speakers, only six LAC-affiliated faculty appearances were identified, representing only 1% of the total faculty. No LAC-affiliated faculty appeared in 2021 or 2022, with minimal representation in subsequent years (2023: n = 1; 2024: n = 2; 2025: n = 3). By contrast, LAC-affiliated investigators were identified in 53 appearances as authors or coauthors in Oral or Rapid Oral sessions, predominantly affiliated with institutions in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia. Three of six LAC-affiliated faculty were linked to specific clinical trial presentations rather than independent educational lectures.

LAC-affiliated investigators remain markedly under-represented among ASCO GU faculty despite robust scientific contributions, highlighting potential structural inequities and the need for deliberate initiatives to support equitable participation in international scientific discourse.