RESEARCH UNIT
Research That Transforms Cancer Care
At Centro Oncológico Costarricense, we believe that research, education, and innovation are essential to providing better care for our patients and contributing to the advancement of oncology in Costa Rica.
ON THIS PAGE Academic Program · YouTube · Publications · Researchers · Resources · Collaborate
Mission and Vision
Mission
To advance cancer prevention and early diagnosis in Costa Rica through education, applied research, and early action, and to establish ourselves as a platform that fosters dialogue, builds partnerships, and channels efforts among patients, professionals, institutions, and the community to enable more timely, compassionate, and effective access to care.
Vision
To be a leading unit in Costa Rica for cancer prevention and early diagnosis, recognized not only for educating, researching, and taking action, but also for convening dialogue and bringing together the efforts of diverse stakeholders to make early detection a shared national responsibility.
Our 3 Focus Areas
1. Continuing medical education and public education
Share useful, up-to-date, and actionable information with both health professionals and the general public on prevention, risk factors, warning signs, early cancer diagnosis, and new therapeutic avenues.
2. Research and academic partnerships
Advance applied research on cancer and timely diagnosis in partnership with universities and other academic stakeholders to generate local evidence that improves clinical and organizational practice.
3. Early detection events with patient associations
Hold events offering initial risk assessment, counseling, and targeted screening in collaboration with patient associations and strategic partners, with a clear pathway to follow-up, referral, or priority care.
Objectives
• Educate the public about prevention, warning signs, and seeking timely medical care.
• Facilitate early risk assessment, targeted screening, and clinical follow-up.
• Strengthen continuing education for health care personnel.
• Foster partnerships and applied research to improve timely diagnosis.
What We Do
Scientific Research
We conduct clinical and translational research projects focused on improving care for cancer patients.
Academic Program
We organize monthly scientific sessions, clinical case presentations, and continuing education activities for health professionals.
Patient Education
We promote events on prevention, support, and education for patients and associations.
Institutional Collaboration
We work alongside universities, hospitals, and national and international organizations.
2026 CANCER PREVENTION AND EARLY DIAGNOSIS PROGRAM
COC Academic Program
Monthly talks at 6:00 p.m., on Zoom or in person, for the general public and the scientific community.
Next Activity
GENERAL PUBLIC · ZOOM
Breast cancer prevention and early detection
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 · 6:00 p.m.
SPEAKER
Dr. Luis Bermúdez-Guzmán
PhD in Medical Science, University of Cambridge · Coordinator, Research Unit
Registration takes place on Zoom. Zoom Webinar ID 899 9582 0887 · Passcode 0000.
Upcoming Sessions Calendar
OCTOBER
Oct 7 · Breast cancer prevention and early detection — General public
Oct 21 · New therapeutic approaches in breast cancer — Scientific community
NOVEMBER
Nov 4 · Prostate cancer prevention and early detection — General public
Nov 18 · New therapeutic approaches in prostate cancer — Scientific community
DECEMBER
Dec 9 · Cases of hope and success stories — General public and scientific community
All sessions take place at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom.
Past Talks
YouTube Channel
Learn from Our Specialists
More than 40 recorded talks on our channel. Talks are presented in Spanish.
FEATURED VIDEOS
🎥 Talks for patients and the general public
Biology of lymphomas and leukemias
Dr. Luis Bermúdez-Guzmán · 1:19:30
Skin cancer prevention and early detection
Dr. Luis Bermúdez-Guzmán · 1:06:36
Early detection of liver and pancreatic cancer
Dr. Luis Bermúdez-Guzmán · 1:11:06
🎥 Talks for the scientific community
New therapeutic approaches in melanoma
Dr. Luis Bermúdez-Guzmán · 1:00:22
New therapeutic approaches in lung cancer
Dr. Luis Bermúdez-Guzmán · 39:21
New therapeutic strategies in cervical cancer
Dr. Luis Bermúdez-Guzmán · 48:03
Scientific Publications
A selection of publications by our research team indexed in PubMed.
Signal-to-Care Gap in Multicancer Early Detection.
Bermúdez-Guzmán L.
JAMA Intern Med. 2026 Jul 20. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.2744. Online ahead of print.
PMID: 42475089
Mutational survivorship bias: The case of PNKP.
Bermúdez-Guzmán L, Jimenez-Huezo G, Arguedas A, Leal A.
PLoS One. 2020 Dec 17;15(12):e0237682. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237682. eCollection 2020.
PMID: 33332469 · Free PMC article.
The Time for Chronotherapy in Radiation Oncology.
Bermúdez-Guzmán L, Blanco-Saborío A, Ramírez-Zamora J, Lovo E.
Front Oncol. 2021 May 11;11:687672. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2021.687672. eCollection 2021.
PMID: 34046365 · Free PMC article.
DNA repair deficiency in neuropathogenesis: when all roads lead to mitochondria.
Bermúdez-Guzmán L, Leal A.
Transl Neurodegener. 2019 May 9;8:14. doi: 10.1186/s40035-019-0156-x. eCollection 2019.
PMID: 31110700 · Free PMC article. Review.
The lack of Tex44 causes severe subfertility with flagellar abnormalities in male mice.
Dupuis S, Girault MS, Le Beulze M, Ialy-Radio C, Bermúdez-Guzmán L, Ziyyat A, Barbaux S.
Cell Mol Biol Lett. 2024 May 15;29(1):74. doi: 10.1186/s11658-024-00587-5.
PMID: 38750428 · Free PMC article.
CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Uveal Melanoma: First Case Series in Central America.
Benavides R, Mejías R, Blanco A, Bermudez-Guzman L.
Ocul Oncol Pathol. 2024 Apr;10(1):25-31. doi: 10.1159/000534207. Epub 2023 Sep 30.
PMID: 38645736 · Free PMC article.
Our Researchers
Luis Bermúdez-Guzmán, PhD
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Molecular biology • Precision medicine
A molecular biologist and geneticist educated at the Universidad de Costa Rica, he trained in bioinformatics and computational biology at the Universidad de Chile and holds a PhD in Medical Science from the University of Cambridge (Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute). He is currently an associate researcher at the University of Oxford (Ludwig Cancer Institute) and has coordinated the Research Unit of Centro Oncológico Costarricense since 2021.
PC
Pamela Chavarría-Elizondo, MD, PhD
RESEARCH COORDINATOR
Research management • Neuroimaging • Translational research
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Collaborators
National and international researchers
Partnerships
Institutions with which our researchers maintain academic and collaborative ties.
University of Oxford
University of Cambridge
Universidad de Costa Rica
UCIMED
Academia Nacional de Ciencias
CCSS
Resources
DOWNLOADS
Patient materials
Educational material; it does not replace a medical consultation.
Collaborate with Us
For health professionals, researchers, and institutions.
Would you like to develop a research project?
Are you interested in an academic collaboration?
Would you like to take part in our academic program?