Breast cancer is a common cancer affecting US women, including Latinas. While breast cancer is very treatable, many Latinas get diagnosed at later stages when the cancer has already spread, resulting in a higher risk of death. The best way to detect breast cancer early is by getting your annual mammogram. However, many women, including Latinas, have dense breast tissue, making it harder to conduct a mammogram and detect cancer. Here are eight things you need to know about breast density and cancer.
1. Dense Breasts Occur When There is Less Fat than Tissue
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) defines dense breasts as a measure of how two types of breast tissue found in the breast compared to the amount of fat tissue. Dense breasts are categorized ...
Now comprising 20% of the US population, Latinos are among the fastest-growing populations in the country. They are also afflicted with some of the highest rates of cancer, especially cancers with lower survival rates like stomach cancer. In honor of Stomach Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! and a cancer health researcher at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, and Dr. Derek Rodriguez, a research scientist at UT Health San Antonio, appeared on the Debbie’s Dream Foundation From the Gut podcast. In the podcast’s fourth episode, the pair of cancer researchers focused on the Avanzando Caminos Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship Cohort Study and the importance of creating a community of ...
Liver cancer, one of the fastest growing causes of cancer-related deaths in the US, affects many people in the South Texas area with its large Latino population. That is why researchers are working hard to improve early detection of liver cancer. Exact Sciences, the company responsible for Cologuard, a popular brand of colorectal at-home testing kits, announced new findings on its new blood test that aims to detect early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is a common form of liver cancer, according to a company news release. Let’s explore the new findings can benefit the health of Latinos and all people.
Early Liver Cancer Detection
Exact Sciences’ liver cancer blood test, Oncoguard, has been in clinical testing. The new test results show that the product ...
Yolanda “Yoli” Barrera Day wasn’t aware she had stomach cancer. Not very many do because from a health standpoint, stomach cancer looks like any other gastrointestinal ailment. But for Yoli, stomach cancer preyed on her advancing age. After months of suffering from symptoms such as extreme fatigue and shortness of breath, Yoli was diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma. It was a diagnosis that most may deem a death sentence, but not Yoli. Yoli was determined to make it out the other side and help others do the same by becoming a health leader and supporter for change.
Deceptive Symptoms Hiding Stomach Cancer
It was early 2021 and Yoli was feeling more tired than usual. While the exhaustion was draining, it wasn’t enough to raise ...
For the last few years, Hispanic/Latinos living in South Texas have been sharing their cancer stories with the Avanzando Caminos Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship Cohort study team at UT Health San Antonio. But up until now those stories were limited to survivors of prostate, colorectal, lung, stomach, liver, endometrial, breast, cervical, and kidney cancers. Now it’s time for the bladder, melanoma, ovarian, thyroid, and lymphoma cancer survivors to share their journeys, too. The Avanzando Caminos study is now enrolling participants who have completed their primary cancer treatments for one of the designated cancer types within the last 10 years. share your story with avanzando caminos!
What is the Avanzando Caminos Study?
The Avanzando Caminos Hispanic/Latino ...
On a late October night, Linda Mota woke with a start. While her mind should have been consumed with choosing a family Halloween costume, her thoughts were elsewhere. “I was laying down and something inside of me told me, check your side,” she said. What Linda felt wasn’t overwhelming, but it was clear there was a small lump there, resembling the shape of a little ball. She initially dismissed what she found, but her intuition continued to scream at her that something was amiss. “Something inside of me told me, ‘No. you need to get checked, you need to get checked,’” she told herself. It turned out she had breast cancer.
Linda Mota and Her Startling Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in the ...
You can play a role in advancing patient-centered research outcomes across South Texas by joining the Creando Conexiones Virtual Forum. This virtual forum, set for 1 p.m. Central on Oct. 30, 2025, is part of the “Creando Conexiones: Cancer Health Research Agenda” project at UT Health San Antonio, which is funded by an award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Expert panelists from Mays Cancer Center, UT San Antonio, Blue Faery, Hope at Heart Foundation, cancer survivors and caregivers, and more will discuss the top research priorities on cervical cancer, liver cancer, and pediatric leukemia in South Texas. Panelists will also explore the significance and vision of how this research can be conducted alongside survivors and their ...
Gregory Aune was 16 when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Aune spent a year enduring grueling treatment, losing over 70 pounds. But he survived. His experience motivated him to pursue a clinical career and help children with cancer. Today, Dr. Aune is an associate professor of pediatric hematology and oncology at the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute (GCCRI) of UT Health San Antonio, on a mission to find new ways to help and heal patients. That's why he helped found the Gear Up Against Kids Cancer Bike Ride — to raise awareness of childhood cancer and support the mission of the GCCRI. The inaugural Gear Up Against Kids Cancer Bike Ride took place on April 2, 2022, in Floresville, Texas. The 4th annual bike ride is set for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on ...
For Dr. Derek Rodriguez, helping survivors is more than part of the job. It’s a calling that began when he was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of childhood cancer, when he was 8 years old. Now, Rodriguez is helping others share their survivorship stories through his work with the Avanzando Caminos study, which aims to improve the Latino cancer survivorship journey. Rodriguez currently serves as the program manager for the study, which is based at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. He is living out his dreams of being a research scientist and helping improve the lives of other survivors in his community. “I am now serving my community as well as those that are cancer survivors, so it’s pretty much a full ...
