What is Bladder Cancer, and How Does it Impact Latinos?


What is Bladder Cancer

One of the most dangerous forms of cancer is bladder cancer. This is especially true for Latinos, who experience lower rates of bladder cancer, but worse survival rates due to many factors, according to a new study led by UT Health San Antonio. “Latinos are vulnerable to poverty-related health conditions and may lack health insurance or financial means to pay for quality health care and use fewer preventive care services than other ethnic groups, which may be related to worse [bladder cancer] survival rates in Latinos,” according to Dr. Shenghui Wu of the Department of Population Health Sciences, who led the study along with Salud America! Director Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez and other researchers in the Department of Urology, the Mays Cancer Center, and the Institute for Health ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 5/4/21: The State of Latino Cancer


State Latino Cancer

Cancer impacts—and kills—too many people across the US, especially among Latinos. There are many reasons behind Latino cancer health disparities, including systemic racism and discrimination, cultural and language barriers, and a lack of clinical trial participation. As Latinos continue to deal with inequitable rates of cancer, as well as a lack of equitable care, we need greater action from all sectors to help in this issue. Let’s tweet with #SaludTues to raise awareness of challenges and solutions to Latino cancer disparities, and boost participation from the Latino community in clinical trials! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “The State of Latino Cancer” WHERE: Twitter WHEN: 1-2 p.m. ET (12-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, May 4, 2021 HOST: Salud America! at UT ...

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Salud America! Gets $650,000 Genentech Grant to Bring More Latinos into Cancer, Alzheimer’s Research


Latino cancer patient smiling with doctor nurse clinic

Did you know that Latinos represent 18.5% of the U.S. population, but are less than 10% of those in federal cancer and drug studies? This makes it hard for researchers to create treatments that work best for Latinos. To engage more Latinos in research, the Salud America! program at UT Health San Antonio has received a three-year, $650,000 grant from Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, to create Latino-focused recruitment strategies and systems for clinical trials in cancer treatment and Alzheimer’s disease. Salud America!, established in 2007, produces culturally relevant multimedia research, tools, and stories to fuel its digital network—over 400,000 moms and dads and health, community, and school leaders across the nation—to change systems and environments toward ...

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Webinar 9/24/20: Achieving Equity in Cancer Clinical Trials for Latinos


Conversation on Cancer Achieving Equity in Cancer Clinical Trials in the Latino Community webinar

Latinos face an uphill battle when it comes to their health. They suffer many inequities, which are worsened amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond that, there is a historical lack of targeted research about these inequities and how to address them, and a lack of diversity in clinical trials. This is the focus of a new webinar, "Conversations on Cancer: Latino Community—Achieving Equity in Cancer Clinical Trials," set for 1 p.m. ET Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. The event is sponsored by the FDA's Oncology Center of Excellence. Register for the webinar. Panelists are: Amelie G. Ramirez, DrPh, Director of Salud America!, Professor and Chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences, and Director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research, all at UT Health San Antonio ...

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U.S. Cancer Death Rates Decline, But Less for Those in Poverty


cancer screening

The overall U.S. cancer death rate fell 27% from 1991 to 2016, according to a recent study by the American Cancer Society. Good news, right? Not so fast. The report revealed a disturbing trend: a growing gap in cancer death rates based on wealth. "It was surprising to see that the disparities by socioeconomic status are actually widening," Rebecca Siegel, first author of the study and strategic director of surveillance information at the American Cancer Society, told CNN. "Wealth causes differences in exposure to risk factors and also access to high-quality cancer prevention, early detection and treatment." Cancer is the leading cause of death among U.S. Latinos. They are more likely to receive a cancer diagnoses in later, less curable cancer stages. The Bad News This is ...

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More Latinos Desperately Needed for Clinical Trials



For years, studies have shown that Latinos have a profound mistrust of doctors and scientists. Consequently, Latinos participate in clinical trials at far lower rates than other ethnic groups, which perpetuates the health disparities seen with many diseases like Alzheimer’s and certain cancers. This also makes it harder for researchers to find treatments that work best for Latinos. Minorities actually represent less than 30% of those enrolled in clinical trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to a recent report. Latinos comprised less than 7.6% of trial participants. “There hasn’t been a single [prostate] screening trial including a significant number of Latinos or blacks … yet it impacts our practice and we have no data to know if it ...

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Study: Interactive Videos Help Drive Latinas toward Breast Cancer Clinical Trials


hispanic latinas watching looking laptop computer coffee

Interactive videos featuring real Latina cancer survivors talking about clinical trials can help Latina breast cancer patients consider trials as a treatment option, according to a new pilot study led by Dr. Amelie Ramirez of UT Health San Antonio. The study, published in Translation Behavioral Medicine, tested the videos with 77 Latina breast cancer patients at Mays Cancer Center. Researchers randomly assigned 39 Latinas to a control group and 38 to a test group. Then test group received "Choices," a 30-minute interactive educational video program in English or Spanish about clinical trials and common barriers (delivered on a computer in the clinic). "Choices" also included a bilingual booklet and access to a patient navigator for care coordination. Control participants received ...

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Noviembre: Mes de Doncientización sobre el Cáncer y la Salud Masculina



Existen muchos tipos de cáncer que afectan en mayor medida a los hombres, y entre ellos muchas afecciones que son más comunes entre la población hispana. GobiernoUSA.gov le entrega información útil sobre la salud masculina y la forma de prevenir el cáncer durante noviembre, mes en que muchos hombres se dejan crecer la barba o el bigote como forma de participar en las campañas de concientización sobre esta enfermedad. Es importante que los hombres hispanos sean proactivos en su cuidado de salud. El cáncer de próstata, por ejemplo, es el de mayor presencia en todas las razas. El cáncer colorrectal es el segundo de mayor presencia entre los latinos, mientras que el cáncer de pulmón es tercero en prevalencia entre los hombres hispanos (según cifras oficiales de los Centros ...

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El Cáncer Provoca Más Muertes que la Enfermedad del Corazón entre Hispanos



Según un reciente informe federal, el cáncer ha reemplazado la enfermedad del corazón como la causa principal de mortalidad entre hispanos, asiáticos y personas oriundas de las islas del Pacífico. Pero no es porque menos de ellos mueren por enfermedad del corazón. De hecho, más de ellos están falleciendo por las dos causas, e investigadores que tratan el tema tienen ideas sobre el porqué. La explicación más simple es que hay más personas, dijo Kenneth W. Kizer, M.D., director del Institute for Population Health Improvement de la Universidad de California en Davis. Según datos de la Oficina del Censo, los hispanos y asiáticos han sido los dos grupos raciales y étnicos de mayor crecimiento en Estados Unidos en décadas recientes. Estas poblaciones crecientes también ...

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