Adoption of trastuzumab for breast cancer in four emerging countries in the use of HTA: a case study

Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with increasing incidences in all countries regardless of their economic status [1]. It is estimated that in 2012 there were 14 million new cases of cancer [1], and 8.2 million related deaths [2]. In the case of breast cancer, one of the most frequently diagnosed in women, incidence rates vary greatly worldwide, ranged between 19.3 and 89.7 per 100 000 women, and in most of the developing regions the incidence rates are below 40 per 100,000 [3], representing 6.35% of all cancer-related deaths [2].