Partners for Cancer Care and Prevention (PFCCAP) is excited to announce the successful completion of our breast and cervical cancers program in Cali, Colombia! This work began as an NGO initiative to improve medical care in Cali. Today we are proud to share that it has evolved into a celebrated model that has been fully institutionalized in the local government infrastructure to sustain the care facilities, staffing, equipment, and expertise necessary to deliver high-quality care. As we celebrate this major milestone and close an exciting chapter, we carry these successes forward and continue our business of bridging the gap in cancer care. We turn our attention to another area of need that is near and dear to so many in our community: serving patients, caregivers, and families facing rare and advanced abdominal cancers.
In the early 2000s, Dr. Armando Sardi and Drs. John and Ruth Singer, our co-founders, set out with a vision of improving medical care to underserved and under-resourced communities in Cali, Colombia. Over the course of nearly twenty years, we have worked with the government health system in Colombia to build a model to improve community capacity for high-quality, holistic, locally managed care for women facing breast and cervical cancers. Today, we are delighted to share that our founders’ vision has been realized as our long-time governmental partners and friends at Red de Salud del Norte, a leading health facility in Colombia, carry our model forward in service to women in Cali.
In 2006, our founders began organizing groups of care providers in the United States to travel to Colombia to provide medical relief to underserved communities. A group of passionate, mission-driven medical professionals provided more than 35,000 free medical visits and 3,000 free surgical procedures to a low-income, underserved population. Over the years, our founders realized that the need for year-round, sustainable care was very high, as were the needs of women facing breast and cervical cancer, the most common causes of women’s cancer deaths in Colombia. In 2011, PFCCAP was incorporated as a nonprofit organization to fill that need.
Since 2011, we have accomplished many things in Cali. We instituted a patient navigation system to navigate women to the different services they needed during their cancer journey. With our US-based partners, American Breast Care and Soul Ryeders, we have secured donations of hundreds of breast prostheses, mastectomy bras, and wigs. Our onsite staff in Cali has hosted hundreds of patient and caregiver-oriented activities that focus on addressing the emotional, social, and economic realities of facing cancer. In 2017, we also worked with our partners at Red de Salud del Norte to establish a community-based clinic to provide consistent and sustainable local care. Over the years, this clinic has made it possible to deliver otherwise inaccessible services to women: including more than 2,300 breast biopsies, 52,000 mammograms, and over 30,000 breast ultrasounds.
PFCCAP has also provided education for thousands of physicians and nurses in Colombia, and improved early detection and prevention of cancer. We have reduced BI-RADS 0 (zero) scores to only 5% in 2024, representing a nearly three-quarter reduction in inconclusive mammograms. Our model has brought the amount of time a woman would have to wait for a full workup of breast cancer care down from 98 days in 2012 to just 9 days in 2024. When we started, roughly 90% of all breast cancers detected through our clinic were late-stage (3-4) cancers. Now, 93% of breast cancer cases found are in early stages (1-2) - a complete inversion of the diagnosis paradigm. Additionally, PFCCAP implemented a highly successful cervical cancer prevention initiative by providing vaccination against HPV (human papillomavirus), successfully vaccinating 88% of students in participating school programs.
In the fight against cancer, there are many gaps in the care provided to cancer patients, caregivers, and their families. Our founders set out to bridge a gap in cancer care for women facing breast and cervical cancer in Cali, Colombia. PFCCAP is proud to have helped close that gap.
As we complete one successful project, we redouble our attention on another gap in cancer care: that of inadequate resources and support for so many patients and caregivers dealing with abdominal cancers, including gastrointestinal and gynecological malignancies. Today, through our Abdominal Cancers Alliance, we focus our energies to serve those navigating the fight against rare and advanced cancers of the abdomen. In concert with this passionate community of volunteers, care providers, and organizations, we are committed to improving the length of life and quality of life for patients and caregivers.
Thank you to everyone who has supported this organization over the years. Without you, your support, and your vote of confidence in PFCCAP, we never would have been so successful!
We are excited for the future as we continue our work to bridge the gap in cancer care and we invite you to continue this journey with us.
With love, gratitude, and hope,
Armando Sardi, M.D.
Partners for Cancer Care and Prevention
