Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, joined The Washington Post's live show to share how cancer screening can help patients get diagnosed and treated earlier The show, "Chasing Cancer: The Path Forward," sponsored by AstraZeneca, took place Nov. 8, 2023. In the first part of of the show, Renee Wegrzyn, director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), and Eric Topol, executive vice president of Scripps Research, discussed how technological advancements and AI are changing how cancer is diagnosed and treated. In the second part of the show, Ramirez teamed with Dr. Gladys I. Rodriguez, a medical oncologist with the START Center for Cancer Care, to discuss innovative initiatives make it easier to access early screenings, ...
Researchers need your help as they seek to better understand how lung cancer impacts people differently and how to improve treatment and quality of life. That’s why the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer started its Lung Cancer Registry. The international Lung Cancer Registry, available to join now, aims to double the 5-year survival rate of lung cancer patients from 20% to 40% by 2025. “By sharing your lung cancer story, contributing your experiences as a person with lung cancer or a caregiver of someone with lung cancer, you are helping the research community develop new treatments,” according to GO2. Let’s dive into more about the registry, how you can join, and how it can help Latinos.
Joining the Lung Cancer Registry
Participants interested in ...
“It was kind of a fluke.” That’s how Angelina Vazquez Felsing describes the events that led to her diagnosis of lung cancer. Like many, Vazquez Felsing maintained a healthy lifestyle. She didn’t smoke. She ate healthy, ran regularly, and had no family history of cancer. Vazquez Felsing, who immigrated from Mazatlán, Mexico, in 1972, grew up in the Floresville area and has lived in San Antonio for many years. It all started when Vazquez Felsing went to her yearly checkup through the wellness program at her job, where she has worked as a systems analyst for 17 years. “They found something that was a little bit odd. They said, ‘Well come back in a year, and we'll do another CT scan,’” she said. “And when I went back, they found that whatever ...
Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer death among people of Hispanic and Latino descent in the United States. Adan Reinosa Rivera, a retired electrical engineer in Los Angeles, is doing his part to change that. Mr. Reinosa has been living with metastatic colorectal cancer for more than a decade. The cancer was detected in his lungs a few months after a tumor was removed from his colon. He’s been managing the disease with his doctor ever since. Now, as the first participant in a genetic study called ENLACEExit Disclaimer, Mr. Reinosa is helping to build a body of knowledge about the molecular features of colorectal cancers in Hispanic and Latino people. The study, supported by the Cancer MoonshotSM, aims to learn more about the disease in people of Hispanic and ...
A big challenge for cancer survivors is a disruption in "cognitive functioning." Stress can contribute to lapses in attention, memory, and other mental abilities that can limit a survivor's daily activities and ability to work. To help, researchers from UT Health San Antonio and UT San Antonio will test a 6-month therapeutic Yoga program — along with supportive text messages and dietary guidance — to improve cognitive functioning in 35 Latina and 35 non-Latina breast cancer survivors. The pilot project, "Surviving is Not Enough: Enhancing Cognitive Function in Cancer Survivors through Movement and Introspection," is led by Dr. Daniel Carlos Hughes, a researcher at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, and Dr. Joseph Houpt, professor of ...
The Zero Breast Cancer (ZBC) organization created Generations, a campaign to give culturally relevant information to young adults about how endocrine disrupting chemicals and their impact on health across generations. ZBC has now adapted Generations educational tools into Spanish with Generaciones. “At Zero Breast Cancer, we believe that language should not be a barrier when it comes to accessing important health information,” according to ZBC. “Our goal is to educate young adults and other community members about the multi-generational impact of [endocrine disrupting chemicals] and inspire simple actions that we can take to reduce exposure.” Let’s dive further into these bilingual resources and why they’re important.
Protecting Future Generations
The ...
Dr. Amelie Ramirez, leader of Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio, has won the 2023 Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) Cancer Health Equity Award. The award recognizes exceptional leadership in promoting health equity, mitigating cancer disparities, and advocating for diversity and inclusion at a cancer center. Past winners are Dr. Robert A. Winn of the VCU Massey Cancer Center and Dr. Electra D. Paskett of Ohio State University. Ramirez, nominated by the award by former Mays Cancer Center Director Dr. Ruben Mesa, will be recognized at AACI's annual meeting Oct. 2, 2023. "I am honored to receive the AACI Cancer Health Equity Award. It recognizes the hard work we do at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio to promote health equity, study new ...
Cancer patients with unmet needs for support – in areas from finances to emotions – are more likely to experience worse clinical outcomes, according to a new study led by Dr. Frank Penedo of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami. Who are the cancer patients at highest risk for having unmet needs? Latinos, Blacks, and people who experience anxiety, depression, pain, poor physical function, and low health-related quality-of-life scores. "Our findings offer strong evidence that unmet supportive care needs are associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes, particularly higher risk for ED visits and hospitalizations," Dr. Penedo said, according to a news release. Let’s dive into unmet needs and what they mean for Latino cancer ...
Every year, more than 82,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer. Making up 5% of all cancers, bladder cancer also is the 6th most common cancer. Latinos have lower risk for bladder cancer but worse outcomes. Have you or someone in your family recently been diagnosed and aren’t sure where to start? Check out the following helpful resources from the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN). 1. Bladder Cancer Support Line (Bilingual) BCAN’s Bladder Cancer Support Line offers support by connecting patients with professional oncology social workers. “The call center’s staff will address the emotional, practical and informational needs of the bladder cancer community including those who have lost loved ones to the disease,” according to ...
