Success Stories in Radiotherapy Development Projects: Modern Brachytherapy in El Salvador. Chapter 28.2

El Salvador, like other Central American countries, has among the highest incidences of cervical cancer in the world, with 18.7 cases per 100 000 population in 2008 (age standardized rate: 37.2). The Cancer Institute of El Salvador 'Dr. Narciso Díaz Bazán' is a private centre for public service financed by the Liga Nacional Contra el Cáncer de El Salvador, a non-profit foundation. The mission of the Institute is to provide radiotherapy services to 80% of the population of El Salvador, while the other 20% should be covered by the social security system, which has another treatment centre. Since this project was finalized, two new private radiotherapy centres have opened their doors in the city of San Salvador, providing modern external beam radiotherapy but not brachytherapy.