Created in 2016 by President Joe Biden, the Cancer Moonshot initiative aims to accelerate the rate of progress against cancer. Since then, the government program has accomplished a lot, including more than 2,000 scientific publications and 49 clinical trials – all to better understand how to treat and prevent cancer. President Biden has now reignited the Cancer Moonshot program and set a new national goal: cutting the death rate from cancer by at least 50% over the next 25 years, and improving the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer. But how will the Cancer Moonshot impact Latinos?
The Latino Cancer Crisis
Cancer is the #1 cause of death in Latinos. Latino cancer cases are expected to rise 142% in coming years. There are higher rates ...
Latinas have lower cancer screening rates than their peers in South Texas and the nation. To find out why, we conducted a Zoom webinar — “Ladies, Why Should You Get Screened for Cancer?” — at 1 p.m. CT on Oct. 4, 2022. This webinar featured guest speakers and patient advocates to help health care professionals and the Latino public to help health care professionals and the Latino public understand the cultural and other barriers to cancer screening and demystify screening tests. Speakers also shared testimonials of their cancer journey and why they get screened. This is the sixth and final webinar of a series, “Let’s Address Health Equity Together.” The series is a collaboration of the Salud America! program at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT ...
Stress is a grim reality for many Latinas after breast cancer. Survivors deal with health, fitness, finance, discrimination, and social challenges that reduce their quality of life and boost their risk of new or recurring cancers. That is why Drs. Amelie G. Ramirez, Daniel Carlos Hughes, and Patricia Chalela at UT Health San Antonio will conduct a holistic intervention to improve Latina breast cancer survivors' physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, thanks to a new, three-year, $600,000 grant from Susan G. Komen. Researchers will recruit 70 breast cancer survivors, half of them Latinas. Over six months, they will get: therapeutic yoga with meditation
optional tailored exercise and diet counseling
real-time psycho-social support based on survivors’ motivational ...
Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men and causes about 17,100 deaths annually in the US. About 75% of bladder cancer cases are non-muscle invasive. This means that the cancer affects the tissue lining of the inner surface of the bladder, but not the bladder muscle. While this type of bladder cancer is treatable, one of the most effective treatments for this disease – a tuberculosis vaccine – causes intolerable side effects for up to 84% of patients, which can prevent treatment completion. When treatments fail, the bladder may have to be removed, reducing the patient’s quality of life. However, a modified tuberculosis vaccine developed by Jordi B. Torrelles, PhD, a professor at Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio, could help treat non-muscle ...
Ever heard of donating biospecimens for research? When a person donates biospecimens—blood, fluid, or tissue samples—it gives researchers the opportunity to better understand, treat, and prevent medical conditions from cancer to Alzheimer's. Biospecimens are especially needed from Latinos, who suffer health disparities. "Latinos who donate biospecimens are heroes. Their contributions enable researchers to make medical discoveries and build new therapies to help millions of Latinos across the nation," said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of the Salud America! Latino health equity program at the Institute for Health Promotion Research in the Department of Population Health Sciences at UT Health San Antonio.
What are Biospecimens?
Biospecimens are materials from the human ...
Cuando una persona dona muestras biológicas o biospecímenes—sangre, líquido, o muestras de tejido—le da a los investigadores la oportunidad de entender, tratar y prevenir de una mejor manera, condiciones médicas desde el cáncer hasta el Alzheimer. Se necesitan de manera especial muestras biológicas de latinos, quienes sufren disparidades de salud. “Los latinos que donan muestras biológicas son héroes. Sus contribuciones permiten a los investigadores hacer descubrimientos médicos y crear terapias nuevas para ayudar a millones de latinos en todo el país”, dijo la Dra. Amelie G. Ramirez, líder de Salud America! programa latino de equidad en salud del Institute for Health Promotion Research en el Department of Population Health Sciences, de UT Health San ...
“The good news is, we can’t kill you trying to save you. You showed up fit to fight.” Still in shock of recent events, Loriana Hernandez-Aldama tried to process the words of world-renowned oncologist Dr. Mark Levis. In such a short period of time in January 2014, her life had completely changed. Just a few days earlier, Loriana, a married mother and TV news anchor with a successful career in Austin and Dallas, Texas, was excitedly working with her fertility doctor to have another baby. But a precautionary blood test before a traditional embryo transfer revealed a disheartening diagnosis of AML Leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer. At the advice of her doctor and healthcare connections, she kissed her then 2-year-old son, Gabriel, goodbye, and boarded a plane to Johns ...
Oncologists who identify as Latino remain highly underrepresented in the workforce, according to a new report from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Although the percentage of Latino hematologists/oncologists has risen slightly over the past decade, from 4.1% in 2008 to 4.7% in 2018, Latino participation decreases at nearly every step in the path to becoming an oncologist, according to ASCO. “As a result, [Latino] patients are deprived the benefits of a representative workforce, such as improved access, enhanced culturally and linguistically competent care, and minimization of health disparities,” wrote Dr. Gladys Rodriguez of the START Center for Cancer Care in San Antonio, and her colleagues, in a recent study in JCO Oncology Practice. Why is this a ...
Unfortunately, Latino men have lower cancer screening rates than their White peers. Only 30% of Latino men received a PSA test for prostate cancer in the past year, compared to 37% of White men. Colorectal cancer screening was lower in Latinos (49%) than Whites (58%), too. To address this issue, you’re invited to join our webinar — Men, Why Should You Get Screened for Cancer? — at 2 p.m. CT on June 9, 2022. This Zoom webinar will feature guest speakers and patient advocates to help health care professionals and the Latino public understand the cultural and other barriers to screening, demystify screening tests, and share stories of Latino men's screening and cancer survival. This is the fourth webinar of a new series, “Let’s Address Health Equity Together.” The ...
