Dr. Andrea Jiménez Ríos

Dr. Andrea Jiménez Ríos is a medical oncologist at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (INC) in Bogotá — Colombia's national cancer institute and the country's most important public oncology reference centre. Established in 1934, the INC is the backbone of Colombia's national cancer control programme, responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of thousands of cancer patients annually, the generation of cancer epidemiology data, and the training of oncology specialists. Practising at the INC places Dr. Jiménez Ríos at the heart of Colombia's public health oncology mission.

With 16 years of clinical experience, Dr. Jiménez Ríos has developed deep expertise in the systemic treatment of solid tumours — particularly breast cancer and gynaecological malignancies — as well as haematological cancers including lymphoma and multiple myeloma. She is one of the INC's most experienced medical oncologists in the management of breast cancer across all molecular subtypes, having treated large cohorts of Colombian women with this disease over her career.

Dr. Jiménez Ríos is also a strong advocate for clinical research as a vehicle for improving cancer outcomes in Colombia. She has been a principal and co-investigator in multiple clinical trials, providing Colombian patients access to investigational therapies and contributing nationally relevant data to the global oncology evidence base. She believes that access to clinical trials is a fundamental component of equitable cancer care and works to ensure that INC patients are systematically assessed for trial eligibility.

She is deeply committed to the public health dimension of oncology, contributing to early detection and cancer awareness initiatives and working to reduce the diagnostic delays that continue to lead to late-stage cancer presentations in Colombia's healthcare system.

Dr. Jiménez Ríos completed her medical degree at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia — the country's flagship public university and one of Latin America's most academically rigorous medical schools. She undertook her Internal Medicine residency in Bogotá, rotating through Hospital Universitario Nacional and affiliated public teaching hospitals, before completing her Medical Oncology fellowship at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología — the natural home for Colombia's aspiring oncologists given its unrivalled exposure to oncology case volume and research infrastructure.

She completed a Master of Science in Oncology, with her research focused on breast cancer epidemiology and treatment outcomes in Colombian patients, providing a uniquely local perspective on a disease that global data sometimes inadequately represents for Andean populations. She has undertaken continuing training in targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and genomic medicine at international oncology meetings and workshops. Dr. Jiménez Ríos holds specialist certification from the Colombian Society of Medical Oncology (SCOOM) and is an active member of ASCO and the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group (LACOG).

Dr. Jiménez Ríos's clinical focus is the systemic treatment of both solid and haematological malignancies. In solid tumour oncology, her deepest expertise is in breast cancer, where she manages hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive, and triple-negative subtypes across the continuum of early and metastatic disease. She is experienced with the full contemporary armamentarium of breast cancer systemic therapy, including CDK4/6 inhibitors, HER2-targeted agents (trastuzumab, pertuzumab, trastuzumab-deruxtecan), PARP inhibitors, and sacituzumab govitecan for triple-negative disease.

She also treats cervical cancer and ovarian cancer, reflecting the INC's role as a national reference centre for gynaecological malignancies. In haematological oncology, she manages patients with Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and chronic leukaemias, coordinating with haematologists and bone marrow transplant teams within the INC's multidisciplinary framework.

Dr. Jiménez Ríos is experienced in interpreting comprehensive genomic profiling results and applying them to precision medicine treatment decisions, and in the design and supervision of chemotherapy protocols across a wide range of tumour types. She leads or co-leads tumour board discussions for breast cancer and lymphoma at the INC.

Research is an integral part of Dr. Jiménez Ríos's practice at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, which maintains one of Colombia's most active clinical trials units in oncology. She has served as principal and co-investigator on international multicentre trials evaluating targeted therapies and immunotherapy regimens in breast cancer and lymphoma, providing Colombian patients access to treatments years before their commercial availability in the country.

Her academic publications span breast cancer outcomes research in Colombian cohorts, treatment pattern analyses in haematological malignancies, and cancer epidemiology studies using INC registry data. She has presented findings at ASCO, the Colombian Society of Medical Oncology's national congress, and LACOG meetings. Her research on late-stage breast cancer presentation in Colombian patients has contributed to evidence informing national early detection policies. She is currently co-investigator on a study evaluating immunotherapy access and equity in Colombian public oncology centres.

Dr. Jiménez Ríos conducts consultations in Spanish and English. As Colombia's national cancer institute, the INC primarily serves the Colombian public health system, but is able to see international patients seeking oncology consultations, second opinions on pathology and treatment plans, and access to clinical trials not available in their home countries.

International patients from neighbouring countries — including Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Panama — have sought oncology care at the INC given its specialised expertise and the availability of clinical trial enrolment. Video consultations are available for initial case review, allowing Dr. Jiménez Ríos to assess pathology reports, molecular profiling results, and prior treatment histories before a patient travels to Bogotá. Detailed written second-opinion reports in English can be provided for patients returning to their home country for further treatment.

Dr. Jiménez Ríos holds specialist certification from the Colombian Society of Medical Oncology (SCOOM) and is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group (LACOG). Within the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, she has been recognised for her contributions to the clinical trials programme and for her sustained advocacy on behalf of Colombian patients' access to novel cancer therapies. She has received academic recognition for her research contributions to the understanding of breast cancer presentation and outcomes in Colombian women. She is involved in mentoring oncology fellows and residents as part of the INC's postgraduate training mission.