NEW! Latino Cancer PSA: Breast Cancer



Please watch our new Latino cancer PSA: "Fast Life." This true-to-life PSA shows that, despite busy lives, Latinas ages 40 and older should set aside time to take care of their own health and get their mammogram each year that can detect breast cancer early, when it is most treatable. Watch in English: Or watch in Spanish: How did this PSA affect you? Did it move you? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments ...

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SaludToday Profile: Dan Hughes



Periodically we'll feature a faculty member from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. Today it's Dan Hughes. Daniel Hughes, who came to the U.S. from Mexico City as a child, went on to get his chemical engineering degree and spent two decades working his way from engineering to middle management at Dow Chemical. But, in his mid-40s, his life changed. A close friend and long-time colleague suffered lung cancer with complications for years before succumbing to the disease. Several close family members also died of cancer, including close cousins and the aunt who brought him to the U.S. He reflected on his life’s work—a “serious midlife crisis,” friends and family called it. He called it a ...

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News: Latino Health Disparities



Check out the latest on health disparities stories, news and funding in the Winter 2009 E-newsletter from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. The newsletter features: The story behind SaludToday Using texting to promote fitness among Latina girls  A new "hub" for Latino cancer health disparities research A new guide to help Latinos quit smoking Research funding opportunties Health disparities events Health disparities resources For this and much more, check out our new ...

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Report: Continued Declines in Overall Cancer Rates



Rates of new diagnoses and rates of death from all cancers combined declined significantly in the most recent time period for men and women overall and for most racial and ethnic populations in the U.S., according to a report from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The drops are driven by declines in rates of new cases and rates of death for the three leading in men (lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers) and for two of the three leading cancers in women (breast and colorectal cancer). The NCI findings were published online Dec. 7, 2009, in the journal Cancer. Among racial/ethnic groups, cancer death rates were highest in black men and women and lowest in Asian/Pacific Islander men and women. Although trends in death rates by race/ ethnicity were similar for most cancer sites, ...

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Report: A ‘Portrait’ of Latino Cancer



Latinos are less likely to die from cancer than other groups, but have higher rates of cancers related to infections (stomach, liver and cervix) and are more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease, according to Cancer Facts & Figures for Hispanics 2009-2011, a new American Cancer Society report. For many cancer types, Hispanics are far more likely than whites to be diagnosed in advanced stages of disease, when the cancer is likely to be less treatable. The report highlights the need for programs that target Hispanics, from addressing disparities in income, education, and access to health care to better understanding cultural values and ...

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Texas Kids With Cancer Get a Fun Day in the Sun



Temperatures soared higher than 100 degrees this July in South Padre Island, Texas, but it didn’t matter to Greg Ayer and his 19-month old daughter, Pamela (pictured). Pamela, who has neuroblastoma, a type of cancer, was thrilled at her first trip to Schlitterbahn Waterpark. “She had a blast for being 19 months old. She rode four rides,” said Greg Ayer, who brings Pamela to her doctor’s appointments in South Texas’ Lower Rio Grande Valley. “Two months before that, she wasn’t even walking!” The Ayers were among 220 patients and families from Driscoll Children’s Hospital Specialty Center in Brownsville who went to Schlitterbahn on July 30 thanks in part to the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind ...

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Upcoming Events on Health Disparities



Check out these upcoming events on health disparities: 3rd Annual Conference on Health Disparities Morehouse School of Medicine, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the Congressional Tri-Caucus will host the third annual Conference on Health Disparities Dec. 2-5, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. This event will focus on bringing equity and justice to health care reform. National Hispanic Health Foundation Scholarship Dinner The National Hispanic Medical Association's National Hispanic Health Foundation will host its 6th Annual Scholarship Dinner Dec. 3, 2009 in New York City. With support from its partners, the foundation will have provided at least $238,000 in awards to health students who have excellent academic achievement, leadership and commitment to delivering care to the ...

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Study: Moving to U.S. Increases Hispanics’ Cancer Risk



A recent study confirm trends that different Hispanic subpopulations have higher incidence rates of certain cancers and worse cancer outcomes if they live in the U.S., than they do if they live in their homelands. “Hispanics are not all the same in their cancer experience,” said the study’s lead researcher Dr. Paulo S. Pinheiro of the University of Miami School of Medicine. “Targeted interventions for cancer prevention and control should take into account the specificity of each Hispanic subgroup: Cubans, Puerto Ricans or Mexicans.” The study, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, indicated that different Hispanic population groups showed different patterns of cancer. Mexicans had the lowest rates of cancer overall; Puerto Ricans had the highest ...

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Want To Do Something About Latino Cancer?



Interested in getting involved in the effort to reduce Latino cancer? Go here and click the logo to join Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Research Network. Redes, a National Cancer Institute-funded initiative to combat cancer among Latinos, has built a nationwide network of community-based organizations, research institutions, government health agencies and the public. Redes activities include promoting training and research opportunities for Latino students and researchers, generating research projects, and supporting cancer awareness activities within the Latino community. Redes is led by the team that runs SaludToday. Joining the Redes network allow you to receive the latest news, stories and events on the work being done to fight Latino cancer. Join ...

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