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 ...
As a child in Puerto Rico, Alberto Martin dreamed of playing professional soccer. He knew that becoming a soccer pro meant lots of hard work, practice, and willpower to get better even when you’re tired and want to give up. Today, Martin is using those lessons to become a different kind of pro – a doctor. Martin is a second-year medical student at the Universidad Central del Caribe in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, and an intern at UT Health San Antonio’s Institute for Health Promotion Research. He is motivated to share his story to demonstrate how following your dream – on the soccer field or the doctor’s office – can be reality. “Stories and information you get, they just become such a powerful source of drive or inspiration. Because you want to see you, ...
The Latino population increased to 63,664,346 in 2022, representing 19.1% of the total U.S. population, according to new Census data. Here is everything you need to know about the growing number of Latinos.
Latinos by The Numbers
The number of Latinos in the U.S. grew by 1,017,302, a 1.7% increase, from 2021 to 2022. California (15,732,180), Texas (12,068,549), and Florida (6,025,030) continue as the US states with the largest Latino populations. New York (3,867,076) was the only state to experience a drop (-0.7%, -27,522) in the Latino population. South Dakota had the fastest-growing Latino population (2,835 residents), with an increase of 6.8%. By county, Los Angeles County had the largest Latino population (4,766,616), followed by Harris ...
Did you know Latinos are expected to face a 142% rise in cancer cases in coming years? To help address the heavy burden of Latino cancer, you can register now for UT Health San Antonio's 4th biennial Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos conference Feb. 21-23, 2024, at the Marriott Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas. The conference will welcome researchers, physicians, community leaders, patient supporters, policymakers, and students from across the country to tackle Latino cancer from prevention to treatment to survivorship. “Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos is a sanctuary where we can share research, experience, and action to translate basic research into clinical best practices, effective community interventions, and professional training programs to eliminate ...
In the next few years, Latinos face a 142% rise in cancer rates. Latinos also face a difficult cancer journey — from genetics to healthcare access to survivorship — as do all populations who experience cancer. 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 and 2020 ASCL Conferences. The 2022 ASCL Conference on Feb. 23-25, 2022, in San Antonio, Texas, welcomed over 250 prominent researchers, physicians, healthcare professionals, patient supporters, and students from across the globe to address cancer health issues among Latinos, which ...
Cancer survival differences are well documented in adults living along the US-Mexico border, but it is unknown whether these differences similarly affect children with leukemia, the most common cancer in children and teens. A Baylor College of Medicine study in the journal Cancer helps bridge this knowledge gap. Let’s explore the findings of the study, what these findings mean for Latino children and families living along the Texas-Mexico border, and how to address cancer differences in the Latino population.
Study Findings on Leukemia in South Texas
Baylor College of Medicine researchers examined the survival rates of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of pediatric leukemia, in children living along the Texas-Mexico border. The study included 6,002 Texas ...
UT Health San Antonio and UTHealth Houston are looking for healthy Latinos to join their “Healthy Control Study” to help uncover new ways to treat disease. “Controls” are healthy people who donate a biospecimen – such as blood, saliva, or tissue – that researchers can use to compare to people of a similar age and race/ethnicity who also have cancer, Alzheimer’s, or other health conditions. A half-hour appointment with a one-time blood draw is all that’s needed for the new UT Health San Antonio and UTHealth Houston study. “You don’t have to be sick to help advance medical research. Researchers need information from healthy people to compare with people who have a disease so they can learn more about disease and develop new treatments,” said Dr. Amelie ...
Many Latinos are expected to take on the respectable but high-stress role of caregiving for their aging parents, who are 1.5 times more likely than Whites to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Join UT Health San Antonio's webinar — “How to Care for the Caregiver” — at 11 a.m. CST on Tuesday, June 27, 2023, to explore how to support caregivers as they support their families. Panelists from UT Health San Antonio, the National Alliance for Caregiving, and Genentech will share how to ease caregivers’ stress, anxiety, and depression, as part of Alzheimer's And Brain Awareness Month in June. This is a part of a webinar of a series, “Let’s Improve Health in South Texas and Beyond.” The series is a collaboration of the Salud America! program at the Institute for Health ...
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease that usually affects young adults of all backgrounds, including Latinos. However, compared to white individuals, there is less understanding of how the disease impacts the Latino community. Let’s explore more about MS, why less is known about MS in Latinos, and how Latinos can gain equal access to MS care.
What Causes MS?
Normally, our body’s immune system protects us from getting sick. But sometimes, our immune system can mistakenly attack parts of our own body. In MS, the immune system attacks myelin, a substance that coats nerve fibers, according to the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke. Myelin can be found in our body’s central nervous system, which includes the brain, optic ...
