How Did We Increase Accrual into Pediatric Cancer Studies by 48%?



Many decry the fact that only 3 to 5 percent of adults with cancer in the U.S. join clinical trials, but a deeper challenge emerges when you put faces to these numbers. Close to 90 percent of those who do enroll in trials are white, and only 5.6 percent are Latino. Read here about what the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is doing to increase the enrollment of minority and underserved patients in clinical trials. Also read more about the effort by Redes En Acción, the Latino cancer research network led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday, to use patient navigation to boost pediatric cancer clinical trial recruitment in South Texas. Redes, working closely to outreach to and educate the Latino ...

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Cookie Monster Helps Give Latino Preschoolers Healthy Eating, Exercise Tips



At ages 3-5 our little ones learn the ABCs, how to count, and the primary colors. But how many preschoolers – whether from humble or affluent roots – are taught the building blocks of eating well and regular exercise? Juntos y Saludables (Get Healthy Together) is a two-year obesity and diabetes prevention project in several San Antonio, Texas, preschools that teach primarily Mexican-American children. The program is led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday, and UT at San Antonio through the institutions’ joint San Antonio Life Sciences Institute. Get Healthy Together is testing whether it is possible to indoctrinate students — for life — with healthy behaviors via positive interactions ...

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A Snapshot of Latinos’ Health Problems



With the nation facing a healthcare crisis, Latinos and racial/ethnic minorities are paying a high price for health care disparities: diminished health and, quite literally, lives lost, the New York Times-Union reports. Hispanic women, for example, have the highest rates of new cases of cervical cancer and the second highest death rate from cervical cancer. More from the story: Studies have found that cultural and communications challenges lead to treatment delays, receipt of wrong benefits or services, misdiagnoses and medical errors. People who have limited English proficiency are more likely to use expensive emergency room services for primary care since they may seek care only in emergency situations. Inadequate patient-provider communication negatively impacts medication ...

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Latinos, How Can You Shop Healthy at Bodegas?



Latinos face many challenges in shopping healthy at bodegas, which often lack healthy foods, according to a nutrition expert interviewed by WABC-TV in New York. When possible, consumers should focus on fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, good quality oils and brown breads and rice, the expert said. Read the news story here or watch the video ...

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Why is Cancer Research so Important?



May is National Cancer Research Month, declared by the U.S. Congress in 2007, in recognition of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and its focus on high quality, innovative cancer research. Latinos suffer greater incidence of certain cancers, and worse outcomes in others. Why is basic cancer research so important for all races/ethnicities? Watch the AACR's video here or below to find out: To learn more, visit the AACR's Web site, which features information on getting involved, including contributing to the AACR Foundation for the Prevention and Cure of Cancer and e-mailing ...

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Teens’ Photos Tell Story of Tobacco Problems in Minority Neighborhoods



SAN ANTONIO—Memorial High School student Victor Hernandez (at right) points to his photograph of a smoked cigarette butt lodged in the crack of a sidewalk. The photo caption starts: “Cigarettes get between everything.” “People might dream to be a doctor, lawyer – then cigarettes get introduced,” Victor said of the photo’s meaning. “With every cigarette it gets harder and harder to quit, you get closer to death. Your original dream goes away.” Victor is one of eight students from Edgewood Independent School District’s Kennedy and Memorial high schools who recently partook in a “Photovoice Smoke-Free” project, where students took photos and wrote captions to visually describe the problem of tobacco to policy-makers. Researchers from the Institute for Health ...

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Ramirez: Latino Cancer Burden Needs to be Addressed



By 2050, nearly one in every three people will be Latino. Yet Latinos tend to suffer a heavier burden of certain health problems, such as higher obesity rates and worse breast cancer outcomes, said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of SaludToday and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Dr. Ramirez recently addressed Latino cancer issues as the 2010 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)-Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Lecturer. "The challenge is that, as a group, Latinos have less education, higher poverty rates, less access to healthcare and lower rates of insurance," she said. "They also bring unique cultural customs that we need to understand to improve their access to care and response to treatment. We need to ...

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Recommendations to Reduce Environmental Cancer Risk



The true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated, according to the President’s Cancer Panel new report, Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now. The report, which presents recommendations to mitigate or eliminate key regulatory, political, industrial, and cultural barriers to understanding and reducing environmental and occupational carcinogenic exposures, given the growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures to cancer. It's statement to President Obama reads: "Environmental exposures that increase the national cancer burden do not represent a new front in the ongoing war on cancer. However, the grievous harm from this group of carcinogens has not been addressed adequately by the National Cancer Program. The American ...

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‘Smoke-Free San Antonio’ Campaign Readies Launch



The Smoke-Free San Antonio campaign will have its public unveiling at 9:30 a.m. Friday, May 7, 2010, at the Baptist Medical Center Downtown, 111 Dallas Street, in San Antonio. In a press conference, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and City Council member Justin Rodriguez will give remarks and discuss the process behind creating a smoke-free city. Political pollster Mike Baselice, of Baselice and Associates, also will share poll results of city residents' opinions of a smoke-free ordinance. Attendees are welcome. For details, visit ...

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