Policies and Programs for the Prevention and Control of Breast Cancer in Mexican and Latin American Women: Protocol for a Scoping Review

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer has become a major public health problem around the world, especially in Mexico and Latin America. Screening for breast cancer, which involves self-examination, mammography, and clinical breast examination, is crucial for early diagnosis, which in turn is associated with improved outcomes and survival rates. Although breast cancer prevention and control activities are being implemented in Mexico and Latin America, as in many other countries, there are no comprehensive public reports that provide information on the number, type, and scope of these activities; the impact of the programs and actions implemented; and the policies that form the basis of these programs. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to present the design of a protocol for a scoping review on the policies and action programs for breast cancer care in Mexico and Latin America, as well as their objectives and implementation plans. METHODS: This scoping review is guided by the methodological reference framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley. A systematic search of the following electronic databases will be performed: MEDLINE (PubMed), MEDLINE (EBSCOHost), CINAHL (EBSCOHost), Academic Search Complete (EBSCOHost), ERIC, ISI Web of Science (Science Citation Index) in English and Cochrane and MEDES-MEDicina in Spanish. A search will be conducted to identify relevant studies published between 2000 and 2018. Data will be analyzed and presented in descriptive statistics and qualitative content analyses with analysis matrices and semantic networks. The selected studies will be arranged according to the Specific Action Program, Prevention and Control of Female Cancer 2013-2018. RESULTS: The intention is to perform this review during the first and second quarters of 2019 and present the results to health authorities by the first quarter of 2020. Results will also be sent for publication to an indexed journal by the second quarter of 2020. CONCLUSIONS: We present a protocol for a scoping review–type literature revision based on the Arksey and O’Malley methodology to be performed during the first quarter of 2019. According to this 6-stage methodology, we will identify the scientific publications that present or analyze first-level action policies and programs for breast cancer care in Mexican women, as well as the results of these policies and programs, if any. The outcome of this review will be used to define the basis of a research project intended to design an educational intervention strategy for the general public in Mexico to enable them to deal with this public health problem. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/12624