U.S. women with breast cancer do not know much about their condition, and minority women are much less likely to report accurate knowledge about their tumors, according to a new study published in the journal Cancer, Medical News Today reports. Researchers asked 500 women about their breast cancer grade, stage, and subtype. "The results showed that while 32-82% said they knew each of the tumor characteristics they were asked about, only 20-58% could actually specify them correctly," according to the news article. Latina and black women had less knowledge about their tumors. Less knowledge was also associated with having less formal education and lower health literacy. A woman's cancer knowledge is important, researchers say, because patients who fully understand their cancer may be ...
You're invited to a webinar to explore stress and quality of life among Latina breast cancer survivors. The webinar, set for 11 a.m. CST on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, will describe the development and testing of Nuevo Amanecer, a cognitive-behavioral stress management (CBSM) intervention developed specifically for Spanish-speaking Latinas with breast cancer to improve their quality of life. The project translated an evidence-based CBSM program by integrating it with formative work and community best practices. The webinar will be conducted by Redes En Acción, a national Latino cancer research network funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and led by the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the team behind SaludToday. The webinar ...
In 2004, 26 Latina breast cancer survivors from South Texas shared their stories to inspire hope, comfort, and resiliency in a bilingual booklet called Nuestras Historias. Today, many of the survivors have new, heart-warming stories to tell about how Latinas can survive cancer and thrive in the workplace, school, home, and family on the 10th anniversary of the booklet, which was produced by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez of the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and her Redes En Acción Latino cancer research network funded by the National Cancer Institute. They vivacious survivors have been living in "technicolor," you might say. Indeed, check out a new story, "Latina Survivors Savor a Decade of Living in Technicolor," on Pages 12-15 of the UT Health Science Center's Mission ...
Susan G. Komen for the Cure recently launched its Breast Cancer Education Toolkit for Hispanic/Latino Communities, a free, online resource that arms educators with Latino-culture specific communication resources, videos, and practical tools. But what affect can using the toolkit have? Yarazetd Mendoza-Camargo of the Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia wrote a blog post to share how developing and utilizing the Toolkit empowered her and her colleagues to share information with local Latinas, and build a closer community relationship. "The tips it includes to approach our audience create an inviting atmosphere to share sensitive information," Mendoza-Camargo wrote. "For example, two women came into the Consulate for services and while they were waiting, they listened to the breast ...
Find the latest advances in Latino health—from cancer survival to solving park access to how to improve mental health—in the IHPR Noticias E-newsletter. IHPR Noticias has lots of info on the latest local and national health disparities-related news, resources and events: Story: Latinas—10 Years after Breast Cancer Survival (Pg. 1)
Profile: Mentees Promote Healthier Lifestyles in San Antonio (Pg. 2)
Story: Latino Researchers among Recipients of $8 Million in Grants to Study Cancer (Pg. 3)
Scholarships: How to Fight Health Disparities in Your Area & Get a Scholarship for It! (Pg. 4)
Story: How to Solve San Antonio’s Low Park Access Score (Pg. 6)
Story: White Students Now a Minority in School; Hispanic Numbers Surge (Pg. 8)
Resources: Tackling Mental Health, ...
Latina breast cancer patients given information about clinical trials in multiple ways, including a culturally sensitive video on breast cancer clinical trials, had much greater awareness of trials than patients who got usual-care information, according to new data. After receiving the extra information—an interactive video about clinical trials, a bilingual booklet, and access to a patient navigator who can help answer their questions—the proportion of Latina breast cancer patients taking steps toward participating in a clinical trial increased from 38% to 75%, according to the study. The study was led by researchers from the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (the team behind SaludToday) and presented at an ...
Two new studies provide compelling evidence that obesity increases the risk of the most common type of postmenopausal breast cancer among both black and Hispanic women, EMaxHealth reports. The studies, which are being unveiled at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) annual conference Oct. 29-31, 2014, in Washington, show that associations between body weight and breast cancer risk seen among white women also hold true for black and Hispanic women. In the first study, researchers at Cancer Prevention Institute of California found that "healthy-weight Hispanic women who gain pounds through adulthood have increased risk for estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) positive tumors after menopause." In the second study, researchers at the Rutgers Cancer ...
Julie La Fuente Louviere of San Antonio has fought—and survived—three bouts of breast cancer. She doesn’t let cancer keep her down. The wife and mother of two has lost weight, ran a half-marathon, celebrated 25 years of marriage, turned 50, become a grandmother, and watched her oldest graduate from law school. "Survivorship means I am able to wake up every morning and be a wife to my husband, a mom to my girls, now a glam'ma to my grandson and loving aunt and sister," Louviere said. "It means I can be an active part of the present and never take life's moments for granted." Louviere is among the 16 local Latina survivors who will celebrate a decade of cancer survival, triumph, and resiliency as part of the 10th anniversary of Nuestras Historias. Nuestras Historias, a 2004 ...
Breast cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer of Latinas in the U.S. Let’s focus on Latinas and tweet about the latest progress in breast cancer research, the importance of breast cancer risk, screening and the survivorship experience at the next #SaludTues Tweetchat. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Latinas and Breast Cancer: Surviving and Thriving”
DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014
TIME: Noon CST (1:00 PM ET)
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: @SaludToday
CO-HOSTS: @SusanGKomen, @KPVivaBien, @KPShare We’ll open the floor to your stories and experiences as we explore: Why is breast cancer such a big issue for Latinas?
What roles do culture, screening habits, and lifestyle factors play for Latinas?
What are some of the best ways to improve Latinas’ ...
