Today is a great time to protect yourself and others cervical cancer. For Latinos, cancer is the leading cause of death. Latinos also are more likely than their peers to develop cancer in the liver, stomach, and cervix. The good news is you can lower your cervical cancer risk! In celebration of Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in January, let’s dive deeper into how we protect against cervical cancer.
Cervical Cancer Risk Factors and Symptoms
Almost all cervical cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that can be passed from one person to another during sex, according to the CDC. There are different types of HPV. Some cause changes on your cervix that can lead to cervical cancer. Other risk factors include having HIV (the ...
News of a cancer diagnosis is the last thing anyone wants to hear. It can be especially devastating for a teenager with no family history of cancer. That was reality for Amber Lopez. Lopez, a San Antonio resident who began experiencing symptoms around age 14, was eventually diagnosed with cervical cancer a few years later at 18. “When you hear that word cancer, you’re kind of like, 'Oh, my God. OK. So, does that mean like, I’m going to pass away? How does this work?'” Lopez said. Since her diagnosis, Lopez has overcome many challenges in her cancer journey. Now she’s sharing her story through the Avanzando Caminos study at UT Health San Antonio to give hope to other Latino cancer survivors.
Navigating Her Cancer Diagnosis
Latinas ...
Latinas are more prone to certain cancers? Cervical cancer is a big one. But did you know that most cases of cervical cancer among Latinas (and all women) can be prevented? How? Making sure that screenings are done starting at age 21 and women who are ages 21-29 get a Pap test every 3 years, don’t smoke, and encourage young women to get vaccinated now to help make this cancer part of the past. Let's use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017 to tweet what all Latinas should know about cervical cancer, including the warning signs and the prevention steps. Follow #SaludTues to join the conversation: WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: Crush Cervical Cancer!
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: ...
All 69 National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers, including the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, issued a joint statement on Jan. 27, 2016, urging all children and young adults receive the vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection, affecting 79 million U.S. residents, and causing the vast majority of cervical and other genital cancers, which disproportionately affect Latinos. Even though HPV-related cancers are preventable through a safe and effective vaccine, HPV vaccination rates remain low—a "serious public health threat," according to the Cancer Centers' statement. “HPV vaccination represents a rare opportunity to prevent several types of cancer in ...
A vaccine can't prevent disease unless people use it. In Texas, only 39% of girls and 15% of boys ages 13-17 complete the three-dose HPV vaccine for the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause cervical cancer and other problems. Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina has a plan to change that. Parra-Medina, a Latino health researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, received a new $1.2 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to develop an professional education and community outreach program to increase awareness and uptake of the HPV vaccine among young boys and girls in South Texas. She and her team will train local health care providers to deliver accurate ...
Compared to the general women population in the U.S. the rate of breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings are low among Latinas. In a new study published in the Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives, researchers attribute the low rates among Latinas to age and fear of cancer diagnosis. The research was conducted by analyzing and understanding the characteristics of women who did not follow up with phone calls and participation in Esperanza y Vida, a program aimed at addressing the low rates of breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings among Hispanic women. "Participant loss to follow-up represents a potentially important source of bias in research studies," says Deborah Erwin, PhD, Principal Investigator of the study and Director of the Office of Cancer ...
Latinas are twice as likely to develop cervical cancer as non-Latina women. Why does cervical cancer—which is highly curable with early detection and highly preventable through vaccines—pose such a threat to Latinas? Let’s use #SaludTues to tweet strategies and resources to increase cervical cancer knowledge, prevention, and screening among Latinas: WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “What All Latinas NEED to Know about Cervical Cancer”
DATE: Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015
TIME: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT)
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludToday
CO-HOSTS: @CDC_Cancer (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), @livestrong, and @thenci (National Cancer Institute and oncologist Dr. Sarah Temkin) We’ll open the floor to your stories and experiences as we ...
Alma Daneshi cried as she sat in her San Diego-area oncologist’s office, traumatized by past-and-present health battles that continued to endanger her life. She had been through a brain aneurism and open-brain surgery. Then breast cancer. Then breast cancer again, followed by cervical cancer. She had lost her job managing a TGI Fridays restaurant while recovering from the aneurism and taking time off for cancer treatment. She got evicted and worried how she would care for herself and her then 12-year-old daughter. Then she learned she contracted viral meningitis during treatment. Daneshi, sitting beside her oncologist, broke down and wept. But then she got some life-changing advice. “My oncologist let me cry for a bit before she said, ‘Instead of crying, put your anger and ...
Did you know Latinos suffer more from certain diseases? For example, Latinos are 45% more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer, 65% more likely to be diabetic, and six times as likely to have tuberculosis than Whites. These health disparities are captured in a new infographic. The infographic, from Families USA, which works to heighten health care for all Americans, urges people to "work together to improve our health care system to make it high-quality, comprehensive, affordable, and accessible for ...
