VIDEO: ‘Are We Moving the World in Cervical Cancer Prevention?’



Dr. Isabel Scarinci, a cancer prevention expert at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, spoke about ways to improve cervical cancer prevention on March 17, 2011, at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC) in San Antonio as part of the SALSI/CTRC Health Disparities Lecture Series. Scarinci's talk highlighted her innovative work in cervical cancer prevention among low-income, Latina and African American, and immigrant women. Watch video of her talk here. The SALSI/CTRC Health Disparities Lecture Series, sponsored by the San Antonio Life Sciences Institute (SALSI) and the CTRC, brings some of the top U.S. health disparities experts to San Antonio to offer the latest trends, tools and advancements in the fight against cancer health disparities. The series is a joint project of the ...

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Number of U.S. Cancer Survivors Grows to Nearly 12 Million



The number of U.S. cancer survivors increased from 3 million in 1971 to 11.7 million in 2007, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute. There were 3 million cancer survivors in 1971 and 9.8 million in 2001. A cancer survivor is defined as anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer, from the time of diagnosis through the balance of his or her life. Many people with cancer live a long time after diagnosis; more than a million people were alive in 2007 after being diagnosed with cancer 25 years or more earlier. Of the 11.7 million people living with cancer in 2007: 7 million were 65 years of age or older. 6.3 million were women. 4.7 million were diagnosed 10 years earlier or more. The largest groups of cancer ...

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Spanish-Speakers Can Get Free Cancer Info at 1-800-4-CANCER



Spanish-speakers are encouraged to call the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service, 1-800-4-CANCER, to get free scientifically based information on cancer clinical trials, prevention, risk factors and more in their language. In a new video, Aileen Ardizon, Director of Bilingual Services for the Cancer Information Service, explains how the number works and what type of servces are offered. NCI cancer information is offered in English and Spanish online, ...

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Cancer Survival and the Hispanic Paradox



A new study of cancer survival among Hispanics found important variations by Hispanic subgroup. The study, published in the journal Cancer Causes Control, indicates that, for cancers of moderate outcome, the adjusted risk of death was higher among all Hispanic populations in comparison with non-Hispanic Whites: 6% higher for Cubans, 11% for Puerto Ricans, and 13% for U.S.-born Mexicans. Foreign-born Mexicans, even with incomplete follow-up, had a 24% higher risk of death. No evidence of a Hispanic advantage was found in cancer survival. The researchers, who studied all 1.2 million cancer cases diagnosed during 1995-2003 in Florida and Texas, suggest improvements are needed in mortality follow-up procedures for Latinos, especially for those without a valid social security number. "By ...

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Liver Cancer Rapidly Increasing in Latino Men in California



Rates of liver cancer in U.S.-born Hispanic men in California have increased by 87%, according to scientists at the Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC), who looked at a recent 16-year span of statewide cancer registry data, Hispanically Speaking News reports. These men are at a significantly higher risk of liver cancer than California Hispanic men born outside of the U.S. Liver cancer risk is also higher among both Hispanic males and females in more ethnically isolated and lower income areas of the state. The results of this study, which is the first to examine liver cancer rates by neighborhood acculturation level and socioeconomic status, were recently published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. “California Health Interview Survey data show ...

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Latina, Black Women Face Delays in Breast Cancer Treatment



Black and Hispanic women newly diagnosed with breast cancer often face delays in care of more than a month, a large study has found, according to a news report. The study, which appears in the February issue of the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, found that 62.4% of African-American women and 59.3% of Hispanic women received a diagnosis of stage II or stage III breast cancer compared with 48.9 percent of white women. Delays in treatment were apparent in the new study, as African-American and Hispanic women had higher risks of 30-, 60- and 90-day delays compared to white women. The risk of a 60-day treatment delay was 76% higher among black patients with private insurance than that of white patients with comparable insurance. Hispanics with private insurance had ...

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IHPR Researcher Gets Grant to Study HPV Vaccine Use by South Texas Latinas



Congrats to Dr. Deborah Parra-Medina! The researcher at our Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR), the team behind SaludToday, is one of two researchers at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio to get a grant in the new round of prevention research awards from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Dr. Parra-Medina will receive $297,173 for a peer education and outreach program encouraging use of the HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer among Latina mothers and daughters living in Texas-Mexico border communities. The program will train “promotoras,” or community health workers, who will be assisted by female college students to educate Latina mothers and daughters about cervical cancer risk factors and the HPV vaccine, which prevents cervical ...

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LIVESTRONG Spanish-Language Survey to Gauge Latino Cancer Survivors’ Needs



Anyone who has been affected by cancer is invited to take LIVESTRONG's first-of-its-kind Spanish-language survey to further understand how cancer impacts Latinos and gather data that will inform evidence-based programs, resources and tools to improve their lives and close gaps in health disparities. Survey results, expected to be released laster this year, are expected to provide a comprehensive understanding of how Latinos are living with cancer and help LIVESTRONG and the cancer community improve programs and resources to serve them. Community-specific data will also be available for researchers, program planners and others. Please take the Spanish survey ...

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New Drug Shows Promise Fighting Type of Breast Cancer Seen More in Latinas



One of the more aggressive types is triple negative breast cancer, which is diagnosed most frequently in young women and new mothers, and even more so among black and Hispanic women. Now, two North Texas doctors are making major strides in treating triple negative breast cancer. Their work is so promising, the New England Journal of Medicine is publishing a study about the investigational treatment this month, WFAA-TV reports. Research from the doctors show a drug called iniparib, also called BDI-201, has prolonged the lives of more than 50 percent of the patients who have used the treatment. Watch the entire WFAA-TV news segment here or ...

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