The U.S. is home to many Latinos and other people with different backgrounds, but many suffer unfair health challenges and heavy burdens of cancer and dementia. More research needs to be done to understand the impact, vulnerabilities, and risks these communities face.
To accurately study the health consistencies in these groups, more of them need to participate in clinical research and clinical trials, which are studies with volunteers that test ways to find, prevent, and treat cancer and other diseases.
As of 2023, only 6% of trials being conducted to get FDA drug approval reflected the variety in the U.S. population, according to a new study published in Communications Medicine.
Let’s dive into the study and how to improve clinical trial enrollment. Study Findings on Clinical ...
Blood cancer, which includes lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma, is on the rise in the U.S., impacting 1.7 million Americans and accounting for 10% of all new cancer diagnoses in the U.S., according to Blood Cancer United. With the rise of diagnoses, researchers are scrambling to find ways to tackle blood cancer, but they need help from volunteers for clinical trials. Clinical trials are studies with volunteers that enable advances that can prevent, slow, manage, and treat diseases like blood cancer. But not everyone has access to clinical trials. Language hurdles, complex medical jargon, unpredictable costs associated with participation, and lack of access to reliable transportation all keep clinical trials out of reach from those who would ...
When you hear the words “cancer treatment,” many think of chemotherapy. The truth is there are many cancer treatments, such as surgery, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, and more. In addition, clinical trials are a treatment option. Clinical trials are studies with volunteers that enable advances that can slow, manage, and treat diseases such as cancer. For example, a new clinical trial at UT Health San Antonio is testing a treatment that trains your immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells in the same way a vaccine works to protect you from disease. Let’s explore the new trial. join the clinical trial
How the Clinical Trial’s Cancer Treatment Works
Cancer treatments are designed to kill cancer ...
With so many unknowns when it comes to Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers continue to investigate potential causes, risk factors, and treatments. Clinical trials are a major tool to help researchers make progress. These are studies with volunteers that enable advances that can slow, manage, and treat diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s for current and future family members. However, these trials only benefit everyone if they have a pool of participants that look like the rest of the population. For many reasons, including myths, lack of access to transportation, and time commitments, too few under-researched populations join clinical trials. But closing the gap on clinical trial participation doesn’t have to be a burden. Here are 3 clinical ...
How can we help our abuelos and other loved ones who are dealing with Alzheimer's disease? Clinical trials! These are studies with volunteers that help researchers learn more to help slow, manage, and treat Alzheimer’s for current and future family members. But without volunteers for clinical trials, the benefits may miss certain groups. That's why Salud America! is joining the San Antonio Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (AD/ADRD) Population Aging and Social Studies (CAPAS). CAPAS will unite researchers from UT San Antonio, the Center for Brain Health, the Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, and others. Community Impact, a local news agency across Texas, featured the effort in an article and interviewed Dr. Amelie G. ...
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 ...
This content is from the "Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos: 2024 Conference Proceedings."
The NCI Community Oncology Research Program: Opportunities to Increase Latino Participation in Clinical Trials
Dr. Brenda Adjei is Associate Director of the HDRP at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center for Cancer Research. The NCI Community Oncology Research Program Dr. Adjei’s presentation began with a discussion of Latino participation in cancer clinical trials. Variety in clinical trials is critically important because it generates biomedical knowledge relevant to all, builds trust and trustworthiness, and contributes to reductions in health gaps and fair research participation. Current limits in clinical research is due to multilevel hurdles and requires tailored, ...
In 2024, an estimated 195,300 cancer cases will be diagnosed in U.S. Latinos, according to Cancer Facts & Figures for Hispanic/Latino People 2024-2026. This makes it important that cancer treatments work for Latinos. Clinical trials – studies with volunteers that explore ways to find, prevent, and treat diseases, like cancer – are a treatment option that could help people. With clinical trial participation in mind, Dr. Eneida Nemecek and her team at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) Knight Cancer Institute created Proyecto Mi Opción, a series of Spanish-language videos that tackle different cancer-related topics. Watch the videos!
The Lack of Latinos in Clinical Trial Research
Latinos face several challenges when it comes to cancer including access to ...
Our collaborative bilingual video that focuses on Latino participation in clinical trials was a "Silver Winner" at both the 2024 W³ Awards and the 45th Annual Telly Awards! The video, created by Genentech with help from the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, the team behind Salud America!, shows why Latino participation in clinical trials is important for the future of clinical research. Clinical trials are studies with volunteers that can help researchers learn how to slow, manage, and treat different cancer and disease. “The lack of Latinos in clinical trials makes it hard for researchers to develop new treatments for this group, which suffers a heavy burden of cancer,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of Salud America! and the Institute ...
