An International Survey To Determine The Educational Interests Of Latin American Radiation Oncologists

Oncology disparities exist in Latin America, and for some cancers like those in children, physician expertise has been cited as a possible explanation for inferior oncologic outcomes. With the rapid evolution from 2D to IMRT in Latin America, adequate contouring education is an actionable target to improve physician knowledge and outcomes. However, topics of interest to Latin American radiation oncologists are underreported. We sought to assess Latin American interest in a virtual platform for case discussion and identify which educational topics are of most interest. A Spanish-language online survey was designed by a team of Latin American educators. The 5 approved questions addressed professional nationality, desire for an online educational platform for case presentation, career length, and topics of interest. Educational topics included head and neck (H&N), central nervous system (CNS), gastrointestinal, lung, gynecologic, breast, lymphoma, pediatric cancers, sarcoma, and topics in SBRT, brachytherapy, and medical physics. The survey was disseminated in 2019 through Qualtrics. Descriptive statistics were employed. Of 138 surveys completed, 133 were included for analysis. Respondent nationality in order of frequency represented Chile (31%), Peru (23%), Mexico (20%), Argentina (9%), Dominican Republic, Spain, Bolivia, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Brazil. Respondent years in practice (including residency) ranged between 1 and 47; mean and median career years were 8.7 and 7 years, respectively; 25th and 75th quartiles were 3 and 10 years. Overall, 127 respondents (98%) affirmed interest in participating in a virtual platform for case discussion and treatment advances. The most popular educational themes were H&N cancers (24%), SBRT (14%), and CNS cancers (13%). Of countries with >10 respondents, the most popular educational topic remained H&N for Argentina, Chile, and Mexico, but the most popular response for Peru was CNS cancer (27%). With international collaboration and a large sample size, we present the first survey results detailing Latin American radiation oncology educational interests, representing a vast geographic area of Latin America and wide-ranging career length in radiation oncology. Participants were overwhelmingly interested in a virtual platform and most were specifically interested in H&N education. These results can be used for focused didactic session preparation for Latin American radiation oncologists. Future efforts also should expand on improving representation and outreach to Central American radiation oncologists.