Check out this great video about Adriana de la Peña, a Latina who led a courageous battle with breast cancer despite language and other barriers. The video is from Susan G. Komen for the ...
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Amy Cleveland, fresh out of college and just starting a career in marketing, discovered a coarse lump in her breast while putting on some tanning oil. Only age 22, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. “It was a struggle for me because I was young and there was no one my own age I could relate to or confide in about having cancer. People always say, ‘My mom had that,’ or, ‘My grandma had that.’ But it’s tough for young people,” Cleveland said. Fortunately, Cleveland—now age 28 and free of cancer—found some “Breast Friends Forever,” thanks to a unique support group for young breast cancer survivors developed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and Susan G. Komen San Antonio. The BFF ...
Read MoreWant to know how do you build a program to help Spanish-speaking Latinas deal with mental aspects of breast cancer? Be sure to drop in for our upcoming free webinar on Nov. 12, 2013, that features Dr. Anna María Nápoles, a Latina professor and behavioral epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, who will outline the methodological phases involved in creating a new psychosocial health intervention for Latinas with breast cancer. Napoles also will highlight a case study in which community and academic leaders partnered in developing a program, as well as a protocol for a randomized controlled trial to test the program. The webinar, which is at 11 a.m. CST (9 a.m. PST) on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013, is hosted by Redes En Acción, a Latino cancer research network funded ...
Read MoreBreast cancer rates increased slightly for African American women, decreased for Latinas, and remained unchanged for white, Asian American, and American Indian/Alaska Native women from 2006-2010, the most recent five-year span of available data, according to a new report by the American Cancer Society (ACS). Overall, breast cancer incidence rates are highest in white women, followed by African American women, while breast cancer death rates are highest for African American women, followed by white women, according to 2013-14 Breast Cancer Facts and Figures, which provides updated cancer research facts about breast cancer, including incidence, mortality, and survival trends for breast cancer, as well as information on early detection, treatment, and factors that influence risk and ...
Read MoreYou're invited to join a Twitter Chat with two top researchers who will focus on disparities in breast cancer among minorities. The chat, from 4-5 p.m. central on Oct. 7, 2013, is co-hosted by Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR). Two researchers will head the event: Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, will address breast cancer among Latinas, particularly why they tend to suffer more late-stage disease. Dr. Christopher Li, of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is an epidemiologist studying breast cancer outcomes and survivorship. Ask questions and follow live on Twitter using the hashtag #BCDisparities. You also can follow the chat via the ...
Read MoreSusan G. Komen for the Cure, an organization dedicated to reducing and eliminating breast cancer, has announced a new graduate training opportunity in cancer research. The grants are intended to establish and/or sustain a training program for graduate students who are seeking careers dedicated to understanding and eliminating disparities in breast cancer outcomes across population groups, including Latinos. By providing funding to outstanding training programs, Komen seeks to ensure that a diverse pool of highly trained scientists will emerge as the next generation of leaders in the field of breast cancer research focused on disparities in breast cancer outcomes. These leaders will play key roles in reducing breast cancer incidence and mortality, and move us toward the goal of a ...
Read MoreLatinas who have an abnormal mammogram result take 33 days longer to reach definitive diagnosis of breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women, according to a new study by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Such a time delay can have a critical impact on tumor size, stage at diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and survival of subsequent breast cancer. For this study, published online in SpringerPlus in March 2013, IHPR researchers worked with partners in the federally funded Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Network to evaluate the differences in time to diagnosis of breast cancer among 186 Latinas and 74 non-Hispanic whites who received an abnormal mammogram result in six U.S. cities. Analysis ...
Read MoreThe Prevent Cancer Foundation has designed, developed and pilot-tested “Campeonas contra el cáncer de seno” (Champions Against Breast Cancer), a culturally appropriate, peer-to-peer outreach effort to improve breast cancer screening among Latinas. By sharing their own experiences with being screened for breast cancer, “Campeonas” encourage their female friends and family members over the age of 40 to get mammograms. “Campeonas” training and free-standing community educational materials are now available for free on the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s website (in both Spanish and English) for community health organizations. One of these materials is an illustrated novela, “Un Encuentro Oportuno: Conversando Sobre el Cancer de Seno” (A Timely Encounter: Talking About ...
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Extra support for patients, called “patient navigation,” can lead to faster diagnosis for Latinas after an abnormal mammogram result, according to a new study by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR), part of the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The study, published this week by the journal Cancer, also suggests that patient navigation should be carefully targeted to have the greatest impact on eventual health outcomes. IHPR researchers worked with partners in the federally funded Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Network to examine the experiences of 425 Latinas in six cities nationwide. Each woman had received an abnormal result in initial breast cancer screening and was referred for further ...
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