Scientific production on cervix and breast cancers in Colombia, 1994-2004. A study based on Colciencias’ National Products Index (X-acta)

Abstract

Objective: to characterize the knowledge produced in Colombia on cervix and breast cancers during the period 1994-2004, and to ponder it.

Methodology: the study was carried out between 2005 and 2008 consulting X-acta, a Colombian database, by means of standardized describers. Articles found were classified according to the journal of publication, namely: Colombian indexed journals (T1), Colombian non-indexed journals (T2), and foreign journals (T3). Groups and categories were defined according to subject matters.

Results: 175 papers were identified under the headings cancer, carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Out of them, 34 dealt with cancer in the female reproductive tract (cervix, uterus, ovaries), and 9 with breast cancer. They totaled 43 papers (24.6% of the 175 on cancer).

Conclusions: There was a trend to publish in foreign journals (22 papers; 51.2%) and in non-indexed Colombian journals (11; 25.6%); because of this trend there are difficulties in accessing to the information. Emphasis should be placed on the need to produce knowledge on the genetic, molecular and clinical aspects of cervix and breast cancers, as well as on its application to sexual and reproductive health. It is also pertinent to insist on the need to form professionals for the integral care of patients and their families. Systems of registration of projects, priorities for health research and mechanisms of financing should be improved. There is a predominance of biomedical studies and a lack of works based on other disciplines, such as anthropology and psychology, that would be useful to bridge the gap between the clinical and biological approaches, on the one hand, and, on the other, the humanized understanding of the cancer problem, its impact on sexual and reproductive health and the experiences of familial caregivers.