Latino Rises from Slums to Prominent Cancer Research Career



The story of SaludToday researcher Dr. Dan Hughes, assistant professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, was featured in the CRCHD Cancer Disparities E-Bulletin: Daniel C. Hughes, Ph.D. has never forgotten his beginnings. Much of his work is dedicated to studying cancer health disparities as a researcher and assistant professor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research Group at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. He grew up in the slums of Mexico City, the 4th youngest of five siblings which to a single mother. “We never knew how poor we really were,” Hughes said. His mother received no child support, no welfare checks, and the family had no refrigerator, no television set, not even a ...

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Award-winning cancer resource available in Spanish



If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with cancer, make sure you have the Cancer Survival Toolbox®, a free, award-winning program that helps people develop essential skills to deal with cancer, such as finding reliable information, communicating with your doctor and finding ways to pay for care. Each section of the program is available in Spanish. Two new stand-alone sections focus on living with multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The Toolbox can help anyone who is facing hard decisions due to cancer, and can be used by family members or caregivers on behalf of someone else affected by cancer. You can read and listen to each program for free here or download free podcasts from iTunes. To order a free CD version of the program in English or Spanish, go here or call ...

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Cancer Center Adds Spanish-Language Support Group



Washington's Tri-Cities Cancer Center has started a support group for Spanish-speaking women dealing with cancer because exisitng English support groups didn't meet the Hispanic community's needs, the Tri-City Herald reports. The new group helps educate Hispanic men and women about their cancer. Here's more from the news report: The group is facilitated by Monica Escareo, an interventionist/health educator for the Center for Hispanic Health, part of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Escareo said the Center for Hispanic Health already has three Spanish-language cancer support groups in the lower Yakima Valley. Some Hispanic women feel like the disease is their fault, Escareo said. A support group can help change that and reassure them that not all cancers are terminal. ...

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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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Melanoma Diagnosed Later in Latinos, Blacks



Melanoma skin cancer is becoming more common among Hispanics and whites, and it is more likely to be diagnosed at a more advanced stage among blacks and Hispanics, new research shows. Melanoma is the least common but most deadly type of skin cancer. University of Miami researchers focused on 41,072 Florida residents diagnosed with the disease between 1990 and 2004. As expected, most cases — more than 39,000 — were seen in non-Hispanic whites. An additional 1,148 occurred in Hispanic whites, while 254 cases occurred among black men and women. Non-Hispanic whites accounted for most of the melanoma cases, but the timing of their diagnoses steadily improved. In contrast, timing of diagnoses did not improve in blacks and Hispanic whites, according to a news report about the study, which ...

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Cancer Survival Disparities Increase among Latinos, Minorities As Cancers Become More Treatable



Racial and ethnic disparities in cancer survival are greatest for cancers that can be detected early and treated successfully, including breast and prostate cancer, according to a new study, Medical News Today reports. Disparities are small for pancreatic, lung and other cancers with more limited early detection and treatment options. The study, published in the October 2009 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, found that, compared with whites, substantial survival disparities existed in more treatable cancers in Latinos, African-Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and several Asian/Pacific Islander population subgroups. The finding highlight the need to develop specific health policies and interventions to address social ...

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NIH Launches Program to Combat Obesity Among Latinos, Others



The National Institutes of Health is launching a $37 million research program on human behavior to develop more effective interventions to reduce obesity. The program, Translating Basic Behavioral and Social Science Discoveries into Interventions to Reduce Obesity, will fund interdisciplinary teams of researchers at seven sites. Investigators will conduct experimental and formative research to increase understanding of populations being studied, small studies known as proof of concept trials, and pilot and feasibility studies to identify promising new avenues for encouraging behaviors that prevent or treat obesity. The program’s studies focus on diverse populations at high risk of being overweight or obese, including Latino and African American adults, youths, low-income populations, ...

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Increasing the Diversity of the Cancer Research Workforce



Latinos and African Americans make up nearly 25 percent of the U.S. population. Yet, in 2005, they comprised only 3.2 percent of funded principal investigators on National Institutes of Health (NIH) research project grants and 5.5 percent of research trainees supported by NIH training grants. A concerted move is under way to change that, particularly at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), where several programs are focused on increasing the diversity of the cancer research workforce. Read more about this effort ...

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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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