Patients Warn Fatal Delays in Peru's Breast Cancer Treatment Evaluations

Patient associations in Peru are raising urgent alarms regarding severe delays in the evaluation of breast cancer treatments by the National Network for Health Technology Assessment (RENETSA). Although the National Cancer Law stipulates that these evaluations must be completed within 45 business days, patients report waiting up to a year for approvals. This backlog restricts access to internationally recommended therapies for early-stage breast cancer, potentially increasing the risk of relapse and metastasis. Breast cancer is the most common neoplasm among Peruvian women, with approximately 8,000 new cases and over 1,950 deaths recorded annually. Giannina Orellana, president of the association For a Peru Without Cancer, emphasized that administrative delays directly impact survival rates. Critics attribute the stagnation to frequent changes in evaluation teams and argue that proposed new regulatory measures by the Ministry of Health could exacerbate the problem rather than solve it. The associations are calling for the immediate resolution of pending files using existing legal frameworks to ensure timely patient care.