Scientists and collaborators at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai recently identified novel genetic interactions that may contribute to congenital heart disease. Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a problem with the heart’s structure at birth. Let’s go beyond the surface and learn more about what the research means and how it can help others!
The Health Impact of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD)
When a disease or condition is congenital, it means someone is born with this condition. Congenital heart diseases or defects occur when “when the heart, or blood vessels near the heart, don’t develop normally before birth. Such defects result when a mishap occurs during heart development soon after conception — often before the mother is aware that she is pregnant,” ...
Cancer continues to be a top cause of death for those living in the US, including Latinos, who suffer disproportionate rates of certain cancer types, are diagnosed at later stages, and are more likely to die from the disease. This is because many Latinos and other people of color are face living disparities that impact their access to healthcare, education, quality affordable housing, and more. These factors can establish what kind of healthcare and treatments someone can get. That’s why researchers choose to keep studying the intersection between race/ethnicity and healthcare so that science and medicine can improve cancer outcomes for these individuals and everyone. Here are three cancer studies that focus on racial/ethnic disparities and cancer.
1. ...
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic are working to better understand and find treatment for uveal melanoma, also called melanoma of the eye. Uveal melanoma is a type of cancer that involves one of the three parts of the eye that comprise the uvea: the iris, the ciliary body, and the choroid. The researchers have developed organoid models, or 3D models grown from patient tissue, which accurately reflects a patient’s unique genetic and biological characteristics. “When derived from a patient’s cancer tumor, an organoid will behave and respond to treatments outside the body in a lab (in vitro) just like the original tumor would inside the body (in vivo),” according to a Eureka Alert news release. Let’s look further into this research and how it can impact Latinos and all ...
Cancer is a big health issue for Latinos and all people. That’s why Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of Salud America! and the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio, partnered with the Mays Cancer Center to create the Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos (ASCL) biennial conference. Read the proceedings from the 2018, 2020, and 2022 ASCL Conferences. The 2024 ASCL Conference on Feb. 21-23, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas, welcomed over 280 prominent researchers, physicians, healthcare professionals, patient advocates, and students from across the globe to address cancer health disparities among Latinos. Conference sponsors included: platinum supporters Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech, and Gilead; silver supporters GMaP Region 3, ...
This content is from the "Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos: 2024 Conference Proceedings."
Demographics and Public Policy: Implications for Latino Cancer
Dr. Elena V. Rios is President & CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) and president of NHMA’s National Hispanic Health Foundation. Inequity in the healthcare system Dr. Rios’s presentation began by focusing on the changing demographics in the US. By 2035, Latino individuals will make up 1 out of every 4 Americans, meaning that the future of the country is intertwined in the Latino experience. The current 63 million Latino individuals in the US make up 19% of the population; however, only 9% of oncologists are Latino, and only 1/3 of those are women. This is important in light of the high ...
This content is from the "Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos: 2024 Conference Proceedings."
Cancer Center Priorities for Addressing Latino Cancer Health Disparities: A Fire-side Chat with Cancer Center Directors
This special session occurred at 9:00 a.m., Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, at the 4th biennial Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos conference. Dr. Yolanda Sanchez is the Maurice and Marguerite Liberman Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research, Professor in the University of New Mexico (UNM) Department of Internal Medicine Division of Molecular Medicine, and UNM Cancer Center Director and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Sanchez discussed the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center (UNMCCC) and its mission to reduce the cancer burden and overcome the ...
This content is from the "Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos: 2024 Conference Proceedings."
Increasing Diversity in Pediatric Cancer Clinical Trials
Dr. Paula Aristizabal is Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Medical Director of the International Outreach Program, and Quality Improvement Lead at the University of California San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital. Disparities in pediatric cancer Dr. Aristizabal’s presentation covered the demographic shift in the US, disparities in pediatric cancer, inequities in clinical trial participation in pediatric cancer research, barriers to clinical trial participation in Latinos, and strategies to improve recruitment of Latinos to clinical trials. The Latino population ...
This content is from the "Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos: 2024 Conference Proceedings."
Obesity and Cancer: What We Know Now About Individual- and Structural-Level Factors
Dr. Monica C. Serra is Associate Professor and Research Health Scientist in the Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology & Palliative Medicine and the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (UTHSCSA). Obesity and cancer Dr. Serra began by discussing obesity and severe obesity, which have become more common in the US in recent years. In 2011, 27% of adults 18 years of age or older had obesity or severe obesity, and by 2020, 32% of adults 18 years of age or older had obesity or severe obesity. ...
This content is from the "Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos: 2024 Conference Proceedings."
Inclusion in Action: Breaking Open the Leaky Pipeline to Create Pathways & Design Spaces that Improve Representation
Dr. Idalid “Ivy” Franco is works in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School. The effect of oppression on workforce representation Dr. Franco’s presentation began by looking at the historical context and systemic barriers to recruitment, retention, and professional success of a representative workforce. This historical context started with American slavery, followed by years of segregation, laying a foundation of institutionalized and internalized racism. This racism ...
