RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: In the Caribbean region, research has been limited, making it challenging to find. In order for the region to optimally access and utilize present research and identify gaps, we developed the Repository for Caribbean Cancer Publications (ReCCaP) to home publications on cancer in the Caribbean population and diaspora and report on publication trends. METHODS: A systematic PubMed literature search for the period 2004-2019 (15 years) was developed using keywords related to "cancer" and "Caribbean." Three independent investigators verified included publications. The final database was formatted and hosted in an online database management software. Publication trends over time, by country, cancer type, and income classification were investigated. RESULTS: Of the 4935 publications found, 1194 papers met the inclusion criteria with 803 publications (67.25%) being on the Caribbean population, 139 publications (11.64%) including multiple Caribbean countries and 252 publications (21.11%) on the diaspora. Between 2004 and 2019, there was an overall 0.20 increase in publications regionally. Overall, most publications were on breast (n = 168, 14.07%), prostate (n = 156, 13.07%), cervical (n = 152, 12.73%), colorectal (n = 80, 6.70%), and lung cancer (n = 36, 3.02%). The highest number of papers were published by Puerto Rico (22.80 pubs/year), Cuba (8.27 pubs/year), Jamaica (6.27 pubs/year), Trinidad and Tobago (3.53 pubs/year), and Martinique (2.27 pubs/year). The high-income countries (n=10) collectively lead in publications over the 15-year period. CONCLUSION: ReCCaP provides an easily searchable database highlighting published work and gaps in knowledge on cancer in the Caribbean and diaspora.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Noncommunicable diseases have become a global pandemic with disproportionately higher rates in low-and middle-income countries. Dominican Republic (DR) as a Latin Americans and Spanish-speaking Caribbean developing country shares a socioculturally distinctive spiritual and religious pattern. It underlines their attitudes, values, and belief systems, socioeconomic reality, and racial attitudes. Social sciences and religious studies suggest that a relationship between spirituality, religion, health-care services (Sp/Re-HCS), and cultural diversity exists. This article argues in favor of a descriptive historical analysis of that relationship. METHODS: Systematic search of academic articles, abstracts, and conclusions published in Medline, EBSCO, PsycINFO (OVID), ATLA Religion Database, and Google Scholar was undertaken using a combination of English and Spanish relevant terms. The analysis of articles was examined through a historical background approach, a systematic review, and a content analysis. RESULTS: A Roman Catholic organization, Voluntariado Jesús con los Niños Foundation, serves to cancer patients that have almost no financial protection. The Dominican Evangelical Church (DEC) founded in 1932 a medical service base at the International Hospital in Santo Domingo (IHSD). When the DR government developed medical services, the DEC closed the IHSD. Since then, there is no any DR Evangelical or Protestant organization that offers Sp/Re-HCS to cancer patients (S/R-HCSCP). CONCLUSIONS: This analysis suggests that a relationship between S/R-HCS and cultural diversity exists. In this sociohistorical analysis, the nonhomogeneous cultural distinctiveness of the Sp/Re-HCS has been demonstrated through the analytical description of the only one organization of S/R-HCSCP at DR.