Luis Benveniste, regional director in human development for Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Bank: “Cancer control in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) suffers from health system weaknesses that have been present for decades: insufficient prioritization of prevention policies leading to a high burden of risk factors; fragmentation of systems leading to health inequities; low public spending in health leading to high out-of-pocket expenditures; a lack of data and information that hinders decision-making at all levels; and poor quality of care leading to worse patient outcomes. We know cancer services have been substantially disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic throughout the care cycle—screening, treatment, rehabilitation and palliation. Cancer control in LAC could benefit from further strengthening and transforming health systems more broadly. For instance, health taxes could be considered for risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol and highly processed food…”