Radiotherapy Capacity and Cancer Mortality Across LAC
Most LAC countries fall far below the IAEA recommended minimum of 4 radiotherapy units per million population, but more machines alone don't guarantee better outcomes. The positive correlation (r = 0.37) reflects that treatment infrastructure follows cancer burden, not that it prevents it.
Scatter plot showing radiotherapy units per million population (x-axis) versus age-standardized cancer mortality rate per 100,000 (y-axis) for 31 LAC countries, colored by subregion. A dotted vertical line marks the IAEA recommended minimum at 4 units per million; only 6 countries meet it (Antigua & Barbuda, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Uruguay, Suriname, Bahamas), and all have high mortality rates. Five countries cluster at zero on the x-axis (Belize, Grenada, Haiti, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent). A dashed trend line slopes upward, showing a positive correlation. Colombia stands out below the trend line with low radiotherapy (2.4) but also low mortality (81.4). Uruguay has the highest mortality (128.3) despite meeting the IAEA minimum.
