Latinas have lower rates of breast cancer than other groups. Sounds like good news, right? The bad news is that the Latina breast cancer rate has been rising over the past decade, and breast cancer is still the top cause of death for Latinas. Fortunately, we have clinical trials. Clinical trials are studies to find more effective treatments, which can help current cancer patients, and better understand cancer to help future Latino survivors. You can help the cause by volunteering for the Partial Irradiation and Sequential vs. Concurrent Chemo Early Breast Cancer Clinical Trial at Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio. The trial, for women ages 18-100, including Latinas, aims to protect women against severe cases of breast cancer. “We need Latina volunteers for ...
By Roxy Harrison
Breast Cancer Survivor in San Antonio My name is Roxy Harrison and these are my miracle stories. My diagnosis story of both breast and ovarian cancer are a miracle! I noticed some discolouration under my right breast. I ignored it for a couple of months. It wouldn’t hurt but sometimes it would itch. I showed it to my primary care doctor. She said it’s probably just a heat rash, but if you’re concerned you can get a mammogram done. I was 37 so I wasn’t too worried. I did the mammogram, which I refer to as making pancakes. They call me back 2 weeks later that they want to do another one to compare. Why they would think something could change in 2 weeks is beyond me, but no problem. I do another one. Then they wanted me to do an ...
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, public health experts are focusing on addressing concerns with vaccine efficacy and safety for those who remain hesitant. That’s why the Societal Experts Action Network (SEAN) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has put together a toolkit of communication strategies for people who are unsure about the vaccine, parents who are thinking of vaccinating their children, and strategies for engaging with specific communities, such as Latinos. “In a rapidly evolving situation, where new evidence is continually emerging, state and local decision makers must be ready to frequently adjust and adapt their communication and messaging strategies to meet public needs,” write the authors of the toolkit, Emily Brunson, ...
¿Es usted un sobreviviente de cáncer Latino? ¡Participe en el estudio Avanzando Caminos de UT Health San Antonio! Avanzando Caminos tiene como objetivo inscribir 1.500 sobrevivientes de cáncer Latinos en el Sur de Texas y 1.500 más en Miami para estudiar las influencias sociales, culturales, mentales, biológicas y médicas que afectan la vida después del cáncer. El estudio es patrocinado por el National Cancer Institute. En South Texas, el estudio está dirigido por la Dra. Amelie G. Ramirez de UT Health San Antonio y el Mays Cancer Center. “Con la ayuda de nuestros sobrevivientes de cáncer latinos, podemos ayudar en el futuro a que otros sobrevivientes de cáncer latinos sanen, se recuperen y reduzcan su riesgo de que el cáncer regrese”, dijo Ramirez, quien ...
Are you a Latino cancer survivor?
Volunteer for the Avanzando Caminos study at UT Health San Antonio!
Avanzando Caminos aims to enroll 1,500 Latino cancer survivors in South Texas and 1,500 more in Miami to help unpack the social, cultural, behavioral, mental, biological, and medical influences on post-cancer life. The study is funded by the National Cancer Institute. The South Texas site is led by Dr. Amelie Ramirez of UT Health San Antonio and Mays Cancer Center. "With the help of Latino cancer survivors, we can help future Latino cancer survivors heal, recover, and reduce the chance for cancer to come back," said Ramirez, who also leads the Salud America! program at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. To volunteer for the study or ask ...
Jeraldine Ortiz knows that breast cancer is tough for Latinas. Breast cancer is the top cause of Latina death. This stems from cultural barriers to care, low screening rates, and low participation in clinical trials studies trying to find better treatments. This is why Ortiz, when diagnosed with breast cancer, volunteered for a clinical trial. Today, after more than 15 years as a cancer survivor, Ortiz said she strongly believes her participation in a clinical trial at UT Health San Antonio helped her get better treatment and better quality of life in her post-cancer journey. “Clinical trials give the opportunity to better treatment for all populations," Ortiz said. "We have a better future."
Ortiz Chooses a Breast Cancer Clinical Trial
In 2006, Ortiz was diagnosed with ...
Día de los Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead, is a lively annual Mexican holiday that celebrates friends and family members who have passed away. Characterized by vibrant parades, singing, traditional dress and costumes, and altar building, Día de los Muertos brings unity between the living and returning spirits. “This indigenous holiday from Mexico celebrates the loving connection between the living and our departed loved ones that is so deeply missing in Western culture,” said Aya de Leon, a Puerto Rican novelist and Berkley professor, as reported by San Antonio Express News. For Día de los Muertos, our team at Salud America! is honored to remember the loved ones we’ve lost from COVID-19 and other conditions, and protect the health of our living familia.
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Annually, CDC researchers compile and analyze data to predict the number of deaths that will occur in the coming year. The number of mortalities that go over this initial estimate, or “the difference between the observed numbers of deaths in specific time periods and expected numbers of deaths in the same time periods,” are known as excess deaths. Looking at deaths in 2020 compared with predicted deaths, researchers found that U.S. Latinos suffered double the excess deaths per 100,000 people than their white peers. “There were profound racial/ethnic disparities in excess deaths in the United States in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in rapid increases in racial/ethnic disparities in all-cause mortality between 2019 and 2020,” according to a recent study ...
Hip hop artist Chuck D, one of the founding members of Public Enemy, once urged people of color to “Fight the Power.” Now he’s urging them to fight cancer. Chuck D wants people to “check your behind” and get screened for colon cancer as part of a new public service announcement (PSA) from Stand Up to Cancer / Unidos Contra El Cancer, a charitable fundraiser for cancer research. DJ and poet Pete Colon sings the same musical message in a Spanish-language PSA. In another PSA video, actress Uzo Abuda urges people of color to join clinical trials. “Hip-hop has a powerful voice and we’re using it to help make the community better, to try to get people to pay attention, to stay healthy and to catch things early instead of reading about it when it’s too late,” said ...
