The Pareto principle in oncology: How a minority of countries account for the major share of Latin American contributions to ASCO Annual Meetings.

Abstract

e23111 Background: Latin America (LA), with a population of 659 million people (8.2% of the global total), is seeing cancer become one of the leading causes of death in the region. The ASCO Annual Meeting (AM), the world’s premier oncology conference, is a vital platform for presenting innovative research and addressing critical challenges in cancer care. We assessed LA’s contributions to ASCO from 2022-2024, highlighting key trends during this period. Methods: We accessed abstracts presented at ASCO AM (2022-2024) via ASCO Online to identify studies from LA, defined as those led by first authors affiliated with LA institutions. We analyzed geographic distribution, author demographics, and subsequent publication in PubMed-indexed journals until December 30, ’24. Results: A total of 19,570 abstracts were accepted for the 3 years analyzed: 6,183 in '22, 6,704 in '23, and 6,683 in '24. Of these, 389 abstracts (1.9%) were from LA, with an annual distribution of 102 (1.6%) in '22, 128 (1.9%) in '23, and 159 (2.3%) in '24. This represents a 55.8% increase in LA contributions over 3 years. Brazil accounted for 57.3% of the abstracts within the 3-year period, followed by Mexico (18%), Peru (6.2%), Argentina (5.7%), Colombia (4.6%), Uruguay (1.5%), and Chile (1.3%). Contributions from all other countries individually accounted for less than 1%. Regarding first authorship, 54% were men (221) and 46% women (188). Concerning institutional affiliation, public institutions accounted for 51.2% of contributions, while private institutions accounted for 48.6%. Regarding presentation type, 79.2% (308) of the abstracts were “Publication Only.” The most frequently tracks were Breast Cancer (12.6%), followed by Care Delivery and Quality Care (12.1%), and Prevention, Risk Reduction, and Genetics (9.8%). Of the 389 abstracts presented, 16.4% were published in PubMed-indexed journals as of the cut-off date. The median time from presentation to publication was 308 days among the published articles. Conclusions: LA’s contributions to ASCO have grown within the period 2022-2024. Although representing a modest share of the worldwide output (1.98%), this growth may indicate LA’s expanding role in oncology research. Brazil and Mexico accounted for >75% of submissions, thus illustrating the Pareto principle. The balance in gender representation among first authors and the near-equal participation of public and private institutions reflect a diverse research ecosystem. Key tracks included Breast Cancer and Care Delivery, reflecting LA’s focus on critical areas. Despite most abstracts being selected for Publication Only, 16.4% were published in PubMed-indexed journals, contributing to the visibility of LA’s research. These findings underscore the region’s potential in oncology research and highlight the imperative to amplify its visibility and influence on global platforms like ASCO.