Cancer screening can help catch cancer early when it is more treatable. But participation in screening is sporadic at best, especially among Latinos. What would happen if more people got screened for cancer? To find out, a team of U.S. and Canadian researchers used computer modeling to estimate the number of deaths that could be prevented, and the harms caused, if more people followed recommended cancer screening guidelines. Let’s explore what they found and what it means for Latino cancer.
The Impact of More Screening: Potential Lives Saved
Cancer screenings can catch early cases of lung, colorectal, cervical, and breast cancers. But only 13% of people eligible are up to date for lung cancer screening; 69% for colorectal cancer screening; 73% for cervical ...
New cancer cases are projected to surpass 2 million in 2024 - a first in for the U.S., according to American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures 2024 report.
The landmark projection amounts to 5,500 diagnoses a day.
The American Cancer Society attributes the rise in cases to a growing and aging population along with an increase in diagnoses of six common cancers – breast, prostate, endometrial, pancreatic, kidney, and melanoma.
In addition, the organization is projecting over 611,000 deaths from cancer in 2024, a .19% increase from 2023. That is more than 1,600 deaths each day!
While cancer is prevalent across all people, it disproportionately continues to affect some groups, such as Latinos.
Cancer in Latinos
Cancer is a top cause of death for ...
Do you get the recommended 7-10 hours of sleep a night? Insufficient sleep and poor sleep quality contribute to the development and management of many health issues, from diabetes to heart disease, according to the CDC. Researchers at UT Health San Antonio and their partners are studying sleep disturbances among blood cancer patients and comparing effectiveness of two wellness-based mobile apps to help improve sleep. The Reducing Sleep disTurbance in Cancer (REST-C) study, also called the Heme Study, is a clinical trial that is currently recruiting adults diagnosed with blood cancer and experiencing sleep disturbance. A clinical trial is a study that helps researchers learn more about how different treatments and interventions can be used to help slow, manage, and ...
We want all people to be as healthy as possible. How can we reach this ideal, especially as we face high rates of cancer and chronic disease and many people struggle with access to clinical trials, income, health care, food, housing, and other issues? You're invited to a webinar series, "Let’s Improve Health in South Texas and Beyond," a collaboration of the Salud America! program, the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, and Genentech. Here are three webinars from 2026: 7/21/26: Zeroing in on Alzheimer’s, Brain Health, and Caregiving in At-Risk Populations
9/22/26: Exploring Medicaid and Medicare Access for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD)
11/5/26: How to ...
The COVID-19 pandemic hurt public trust in healthcare and science. Trust is especially low among communities that experience health differences and challenges to healthcare, according to Dr. David W. Baker of The Joint Commission in Illinois. “Black and Latino communities faced inadequate testing, financial [challenges] to care, and high rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths, further threatening their trust in physicians, the health care system, public health, and science,” Baker wrote in his article, Trust in Health Care in the Time of COVID-19. Misinformation and a lack of trust in healthcare can spur a cycle of reduced care and ultimately contribute to worse health outcomes. But how can trust in healthcare be restored?
Reasons for Latino Distrust in Healthcare
Several ...
Clinical trials have led to the development of better treatments, life-saving medicines, and new prevention strategies for cancer and other diseases. Still, clinical trials have lacked volunteers who are Latino. We need a variety of participants in clinical trials to ensure health and medical discoveries are fair for all populations. To promote clinical trials, let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, to discuss reasons why Latinos and all people should consider joining a clinical trial! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: Why Should You Try a Clinical Trial?
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludAmerica
CO-HOSTS: LatinaStrong Foundation (@LatinaStrongDr); Public Health Maps ...
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 ...
Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, joined The Washington Post's live show to share how cancer screening can help patients get diagnosed and treated earlier. The show, "Chasing Cancer: The Path Forward," sponsored by AstraZeneca, took place Nov. 8, 2023. In the first part of of the show, Renee Wegrzyn, director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), and Eric Topol, executive vice president of Scripps Research, discussed how technological advancements and AI are changing how cancer is diagnosed and treated. In the second part of the show, Ramirez teamed with Dr. Gladys I. Rodriguez, a medical oncologist with the START Center for Cancer Care, to discuss innovative initiatives make it easier to access early screenings for ...
Researchers need your help as they seek to better understand how lung cancer impacts people differently and how to improve treatment and quality of life. That’s why the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer started its Lung Cancer Registry. The international Lung Cancer Registry, available to join now, aims to double the 5-year survival rate of lung cancer patients from 20% to 40% by 2025. “By sharing your lung cancer story, contributing your experiences as a person with lung cancer or a caregiver of someone with lung cancer, you are helping the research community develop new treatments,” according to GO2. Let’s dive into more about the registry, how you can join, and how it can help Latinos.
Joining the Lung Cancer Registry
Participants interested in ...
